Man behind the Mythology

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Both couples had to wait three years to be officially engaged, since their respective parents/guardian thought them too young for that commitment.

[Bêthberry]

Quite right, Esty. A bit fascinating, isn't it? And now, for your next question ...

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Who wrote this brief book report on The Hobbit and what happened as a result?

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who lived in his hobbit-hole and never went for adventures, at last Gandalf the wizard and his dwarves perswaded [sic] him to go. He had a very exciting time fighting goblins and wargs, at last they got to the lonley [sic] mountain; Smaug, the dragon who gawreds [sic] it is killed and after a terrific battle with the goblins he returned home - rich! This book, with the help of maps, does not need any illustrations it is good and should appeal to all children between the ages of 5 and 9.

(Bb, that is an interesting comparison - I'd never noticed it before!)

[The Saucepan Man]

At a guess, I'd say that the review was by Stanley Unwin's son Rayner, and that the Hobbit was published by Unwin in consequence of it.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Great guess, Saucy! You're right, of course - as a matter of fact, he even got paid one shilling for that report. Wouldn't we like to get paid for reading good books!

You have the floor...

[The Saucepan Man]

Most kind, my Lady.

Which London publisher narrowly missed the opportunity of publishing Lord of the Rings, how did they come to have that opportunity, and why were they deprived of it?

[Olorin_TLA]

Collins, because Allen & Unwin couldn't publish the Silmarillion and LotR in one; Collins said they were interested in doing so, but it never happened, and so A&U published in the end.

[The Saucepan Man]

Yes, Allen & Unwin were reluctant to publish the Silm as well as LotR and Collins expressed an interest in publishing both. Then they had cold feet and Tolkien lost patience with them, returning to Allen & Unwin to have LotR published on the basis that one was better than none.

So, the thread is your Olorin_TLA.

[Olorin_TLA]

Kind of tragic one...

When CS Lewis passed away, how did Tolkien descibe it, compared to other misfortunes in his life?

[Child of the 7th Age]

Olorin_TLA,

Do you mean this quote from his letter to his daughter Priscilla concerning th death of Lewis?

"So far I have felt the normal feelings of a man of my age---like an old tree that is losingall its leaves one by one; this feels like an axe-blow near the roots."

~Child

[Estelyn Telcontar]

He wrote to his daughter Priscilla after Lewis' death:

So far I have felt the normal feelings of a man of my age - like an old tree that is losing all its leaves one by one: this feels like an axe-blow near the roots.

That's a very touching picture that shows that the friendship still meant much to him.

edit: Darn, Sharon - you beat me to it by one minute!

[Olorin_TLA]

Ah, sorry Estelyn, but Child (long time no see) has it!

Yeah, that's always been a touching comment to me, especially considering how they'd drifted apart over the years.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Like other Hobbits, my specialty is 'slinking in' the back way!

Now, on to business....

Who said this?

I think that Tom Bombadil would make quite a good story, but as The Hobbit has already been very successful I think the story of Old Took's great grand-uncle, Bullroarer, who rode a horse and charged the goblins of Mount Gram in the battle of the Green Fields and knocked King Golfimbil's (sic) head off with a wooden club would be even better. The story could be a continuation of The Hobbit , for Bilbo could tell it to Gandlf and Balin in his hobbit hole when they visited him.

[Olorin_TLA]

Tolkien's aunt?

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Sounds like Rayner Unwin to me...

[Child of the 7th Age]

Ooh, Esty! You are sooo close, but not quite right.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Sir Stanley Unwin then?

[Child of the 7th Age]

No.....think small

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Hmmmmm, I'm still paging through both the biography and Letters with no success in finding the quote yet, so I'll venture another guess - Christopher?

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Well, according to Carpenter, the 'Hobbit' review was written by Rayner Unwin...

[Child of the 7th Age]

Esty,

Me BIG goof! You are so fast in replying. I just erased my last post when I realized my error. I must be going bonkers. When I looked at your first post, I swore it said his father Stanley. As I ran out to carpool, I glanced at your second post, saw Stanley, and thought "that's not right either!"

Yes, I know your first post didn't say that! How could I goof so badly? I am very sorry to put you through that work. It is Rayner and the floor is yours....

A confused Child

[Estelyn Telcontar]

That's OK - it's nice to know that I recognized Rayner's style even though I did not have access to that quote! New question then: What is Tolkien touching on the last photograph taken of him? (...so typical!)

And by the way, I find it interesting to get tidbits of information from other books - no need to limit ourselves as long as the question is not so difficult that a guess isn't possible.

[Bêthberry]

An oak tree? It was some kind of tree. Not an Ent though.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Tree is right, Bêthberry - the picture, taken on August 9, 1973, is in Carpenter's biography and shows him standing next to one of his favourite trees, a Pinus Nigra, in the Botanic Gardens, Oxford.

[Bêthberry]

I wonder if that tree still stands. Perhaps, if I do make a sidetrip to Oxford this summer, I should look for it and take a photograph of it.

But now for another challenge:

What famous poet remarked that hearing Tolkien read Beowulf in class was akin to hearing Gandalf read?

[The Saucepan Man]

That would be WH Auden, who wrote:

What an unforgettable experience it was for me as an undergraduate, hearing you recite Beowulf. The voice was the voice of Gandalf.

[Bêthberry]

Right you are, Sauce. I like the idea of that personal connection, the great fantasy writer teaching the one-day-to-be great modern poet. "Only connect" Auden said, I think. I wonder what kinds of reflections Tolkien's other students had.

And so, the floor is yours.... Make as much noise as you like with your question.

[The Saucepan Man]

Yes and I think that in one of the later Letters, JRRT refers to Auden as one of his great friends, despite them having only actually met on a few occasions. It would seem that their friendship blossomed through correspondence.

Thanks Bb. Next up, and staying on the WH Auden theme:

In what way did WH Auden expose Tolkien to ridicule and cause him and, in particular, Edith much embarassment?

[Estelyn Telcontar]

By saying:

He lives in a hideous house - I cannot tell you how hideous, with hideous pictures.

...publicly at a meeting of the Tolkien Society, as later reported in a London newspaper. Since he had only been in Edith's room for tea, that remark was not particularly flattering and also not true. The house was simply ordinary - something Auden hadn't expected of so extraordinary a person as Tolkien.

[The Saucepan Man]

Spot on!

It would seem that JRRT forgave him his indiscretion, though.

Well done Esty, you're up next.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

At JRR and Edith Tolkien's Golden Wedding Anniversary, a special musical performance was one of the highlights. What was sung and by whom?

[Child of the 7th Age]

I believe that would be a performance of Tolkien's song cycle The Road Goes Ever On. The composer Donald Swann was at the piano and a gentleman appropiately named William Elvin sang the songs.

That took place in 1966 at Merton College.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

That's right, Child - and a-one, a-two... - take it away!

[Child of the 7th Age]

That was fast! Let's see....

What was the only clear memory of his father that JRRT retained?

[Bêthberry]

If I am correct, Child, it is a poignant memory of departure, loss, of the way words substitute for real experience.

Tolkien's mother undertook a journey, when her eldest son was about three or four, to England, for the sake of his health. Tolkien remembered seeing his father paint his name on the lid of a trunk as preparation for that journey.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Mistress Bethberry,

Just so! The floor is yours.

~Child

[Bêthberry]

Thank you, Mother Cami.

Well, here's a topic less literary and more pecuniary, although perhaps a bit obscure. Still, I think, it tells us something about the man.

Tolkien refused his University pension. Why, or, what did he do instead?
*dances off on that floor... in the best imitation of Tom*

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Obscure indeed - I've been searching in both the biography and the letters, unsuccessfully so far. Did it have something to do with the Merton fellowship? Some vague memory lurks at the back of my mind... Or was it because of his book earnings, which already put his taxes at a high level?

[Bêthberry]

Oh dear! I had hoped not to be that obscure. Where is Squatter and his great familliarity with the Letters?

The answer can be found in a letter in which Tolkien urges someone to accept a gift he sent in the form of a cheque. The letter would, of course, have been written after he retired from Oxford.

In this letter, Tolkien also talks about the progress of a certain book of poems, which was being illustrated by someone whose work he greatly admired.

[Son of Númenor]

"I receive as a septuagenarian a retirement pension, of which I feel it proper to give away at least what the Tax collectors leave in my hands (a National one, I mean: I refused the University pension, and took the lump sum and invested it in a trust managed by my bank) (Letters - 238)."

*dances off on that floor... in the best imitation of Tom*

Heheh. That hint was a bit subtle.