Christopher Tolkien to finish lost Middle Earth novel

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

There was a previous post by Squatter about this same text.

Indeed there was.
My post is a little more circumspect than you make it sound, so I've linked to it.

That was a chance meeting, reported to me by chance by my then supervisor (chairless for now). I suppose that when two Anglo-Saxonists meet at a conference and both of them happen to be Tolkien fans, and one of them happens to be engaged in a project that involves Anglo-Saxon literature and Tolkien it's inevitable that the subject should crop up. Since it was well known on the course that I'm a fairly obsessive collector of all Tolkien information, it's not terribly surprising that I heard about the meeting not long afterwards. I tried to make it clear in my post that there was only a suggestion that the Estate's motives were financial, mainly because I wasn't privy to the original conversation.

What you've said about Tolkien's verse translation is exactly what I would expect from him, having compared Gawain and Pearl with his Modern English versions. His aim seems always to have been nothing less than a complete translation. It was not enough to tell a modern English reader what a text literally meant: he wanted to render the author's every nuance and device, whilst simultaneously preserving the metrical structure, rhyme, stress and alliteration of the original. Tolkien was probably the best qualified person of his generation to translate Beowulf: he had a genuine poetic sensibility as well as the detailed technical understanding of both the original language and modern English required to create an accurate rendering. He was also well versed in all aspects of Beowulfiana as they were known at his time: themes, history, provenance, parallels and cultural context. Not only that, but he was himself at the cutting edge of research into the poem.

I own a copy of Crossley-Holland's translation, which was always a useful aid to study. If he and a former occupier of the Merton chair, not to mention Drout himself, are impressed then this work is an important contribution to scholarship, and would almost certainly be adopted as one of the standard texts for teaching Beowulf. It's iniquitous that it's languishing in a box somewhere waiting to deteriorate into illegibility. There seems something excessive about the extent to which access to Tolkien's papers is controlled. Plenty of people have seen Tolkien's papers, and I haven't heard one thing said that suggests they contain anything that could damage his reputation, even if mishandled. Even a little more openness from the Estate about their selection criteria wouldn't go amiss. At least they could relieve the old Templar who has to challenge all comers to single combat... wait, that's something else.

I think that the Tolkien Estate is shooting itself in the foot by refusing to present its stance on certain issues except through lawyers. All it would take sometimes is a hundred words or so from Christopher Tolkien posted on a website somewhere and a lot of this mistrust would evaporate. Obviously the terms of contractual agreements can't just be trumpeted abroad, but perhaps a brief explanation when a long-awaited party is suddenly cancelled would help to reduce the amount of impertinent speculation and ridiculous conspiracy-theorising. Perhaps this is why they've started their own website. I think that issues like the Beowulf translations may end up being addressed there, and if that's what the Estate plans to do then their public relations advice has suddenly improved dramatically. I agree that a young and outgoing face giving interviews will probably do no harm to relations between Tolkien's heirs and the rest of the world, and that will reduce the need for heavy-handed legal measures. All in all, I hope that the Estate is realising that they and Tolkien's fans have no reason to be at odds with one another, provided that each party respects the other. Then again, I'll wait to see what they do with their website before I start patting anyone on the back.

[Child of the 7th Age]

My post is a little more circumspect than you make it sound, so I've linked to it.

Squatter,

Sorry, sorry about my crude condensation. Open pen, insert large foot. I should have linked to the original post.

What you are suggesting in terms of their new website makes sense. I can understand that CT and the estate would prefer to have comfortable turf on which to make such announcements rather than just throwing press releases out into the void where the minions of Morgoth can devour them. If the site will be used for communication and explanation, that would be wonderful. But, as you say, we'll have to withold judgment.

The context in which this issue arose for me was similar to what you've described about your professor; it involved discussions at a conference. One of the largest gatherings of medievalists in the US is held at Kalamazoo, Michigan ( an unlikely place, I know). My undergrad college , a small school no one's ever heard of, is also in that city. Several years ago, I visited the college and attended the conference, which I hadn't done in years. A number of people were speculating about the Beowulf texts, since the permission to publish had apparently been pulled. They weren't hostile to CT or the estate (in fact several of these same people had participated in a Tolkien session). They just wanted to understand what had happened and expressed concern about the availability of the texts.

As someone who doesn't read Anglo-Saxon but still appreciates this historical period, I would love to read Tolkien's translations because these would probably bring us closer to the original than the ones that are currently available. Tolkien's unique combination of historical knowledge and sensitivity to words could give us a new perspective.

What if Silm and HoME had never been released? Our appreciation of Tolkien as the creator of Arda would necessarily be more limited. But without CT's approval and hard work,none of that would have happened. It's possible that these historical texts and notes on Beowulf would shed a similar new light on Tolkien's contributions as a medievalist. Let's hope it happens soon.

[Lalwendë]

There's probably a very good, non-sinister reason for holding back on the Beowulf translation. I know how keen everyone is to see it, especially Child who has posted about this a few times over the years! But if you really are that keen to see it, do get in touch with the estate/publishers and ask. obviously your enquiry would have to be worded correctly to get a response as they may be touchy about the subject, but it's worth asking, if not to set minds at rest.

There is always the possibility that the translation is simply held up due to legal or economic matters, both of which would be something the estate may be unwilling or even unable to divulge.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Lal,

You must have been reading my mind long distance regarding contacting the estate. I had been thinking about raising these questions for some time. When I first saw the estate's new website, I filled out the form with a polite inquiry about the status of the Beowulf material in terms of current access and the possibility of future publication. I also wrote the Bodleian, Harper Collins UK, Harper Collins US, and Houghton Mifflin.

I am more interested in the question of editing and publication than anything else. I don't have the background in Anglo-Saxon to make sense of unedited papers. Plus, one of my offspring has just started college so there is little chance of squeezing out spare pennies for a trip to the UK. (I lived in England for a few years when I was younger and doing research/studying but then I was footloose and fancy free.) If I receive any pertinent answers or even just a "thank you for sharing", I'll mention it on this thread. I would be surprised to learn anything substantial, not because of any cover-up or something silly like that, but because the system doesn't work that way. Still, you can't be sure until you ask.

[davem]

Y'all might be interested in this, much info on CoH & other Tolkien related stuff...

http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/...-Interview.htm

&

http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/...endar-2008.htm

[davem]

slightly different version of the cover we've already seen here

Could this be true the one?

[Lalwendë]

I've just been having a look on Amazon and they've now changed the release date of Children to Monday 16th April. Personally it was irritating me that it had said 17th as that's a Tuesday, and I wanted to be sure so I can be at the shops nice 'n' early.