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Would Tolkien have compromised his vision to get published.
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Actually, we have a clear cut answer to that. Some years prior to the war, a German publisher wanted to put out an edition of The Hobbit. This was in the bad days when racial tensions were building in Germany.
The publisher insisted that Tolkien tell him whether or not he was "Aryan". Tolkien wrote back and basically said this: What you are really asking me is whether I am Jewish. I regret to say that I have no Jewish relatives, although I have many Jewish friends.
Moreoever, he refused to fill out the Aryan declaration, even though it was a requirement.
So we have a pretty good idea what Tolkien would do when faced with racial prejudice. He definitely set his ideals before his personal self interest.
BTW, thanks for the nice comments on my earlier post! And, Helkha, I am not
all that ancient! (Cami hobbles off down the road...)
sharon
[ May 25, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]