Christopher Tolkien to finish lost Middle Earth novel

[ninja91]

Hey Lal, dont forget that iron knuckle, since the release of the movies and the relatively new fervor stemming from the release of the movies, I wouldnt be surprised if it is as big as a Harry Potter release (excluding the future release of the 7th book, I cant wait!).
Also, I wonder if there is more than one work that Chris T. has been working on over the past 30 YEARS...

[davem]

Bit more info. Publication date in the UK is April 16th & the book is 320 pages long. Amazon UK is taking pre-orders

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Hur...489436?ie=UTF8

[Aiwendil]

Three hundred and twenty pages? Now that is interesting . . .

The "Narn i Chin Hurin" in Unfinished Tales runs to about 110 pages in my edition. If we add in material from the GA and QS to fill the missing section between the arrival at Amon Rudh and the fall of Nargothrond, we might, perhaps, have 140 pages, or 150 at most.

I suppose the account of Nirnaeth Arnoediad associated with the "Narn" would probably be included as well, which adds perhaps 15 pages or so. Some introduction may also be included, summarising the story of the Silmarillion up to that point - allow another 20 pages or so for this (though that seems on the long side to me).

All this yields, at most, about 200 pages, assuming fairly ordinary typesetting. Naturally, some illustrations, indices, etc. will take up additional space, but it's hard to imagine them amounting to 120 pages.

Perhaps "The Wanderings of Hurin" is to be included. That could scarcely be done, however, unless either: 1. the work is to have a very strange ending, proceeding beyond the obvious climax of the story only to fizzle out suddenly or 2. Christopher Tolkien has done some substantial creative writing to smooth out the end of "Wanderings".

I suppose another possibility is that Christopher has taken done some creative writing to fill in the middle parts of the "Narn".

[davem]

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

I suppose another possibility is that Christopher has taken done some creative writing to fill in the middle parts of the "Narn".

This was my immediate thought, but all the statements I've seen so far state that it is all JRRT's work, in his own words.

Perhaps we should take the 320 pages with a pinch of salt. That said, in the Alan Lee illustrated Hobbit there are both colour plates & pencil illustrations on many of the pages, so its possible that we won't get any more material than you mention, but quite a bit of Alan Lee in there...

[Lalwendë]

And a lengthy index, a few blank pages between that and the story, a few more blank pages at the start, followed by the ISBN page, then a lengthy introduction. Maybe a bit of 'commentary'. Some double page illustrations too? Elaborate 'chapter beginning pages'.

Cynical Lalwende.

Anyway, I don't care if it is short, it is new. More stuff! Lovely.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Today, The Times said that this was a quite sensational new x-rated Tolkien-story, full of incest and suicide and stuff. A far cry from the Hobbit!

They also said Hurin was an Elf-warrior. I am not sure why.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim

Today, The Times said that this was a quite sensational new x-rated Tolkien-story, full of incest and suicide and stuff. A far cry from the Hobbit!

They also said Hurin was an Elf-warrior. I am not sure why.

Cheers for the tip. The Times lets you see articles (unlike the Indy, boo) so I've found the link here.

Text here too, in case it disappears:

X-rated Tolkien: it's not for the kiddies
Maurice Chittenden

A DARKNESS is once again descending on JRR Tolkien’s fabled land of Middle-earth. An unfinished work completed by the writer’s son is such a departure from the world of hobbits that it may merit an X-certificate.

The manuscript for The Children of Hurin, to be published next spring, contains incest, suicide and a multitude of violent deaths. Any film version is likely to have restricted audiences because of the subject matter.

Christopher Tolkien has spent the past 30 years working on the epic tale that his father began in 1918 while on leave from the army. JRR, who was recovering from trench fever contracted during the battle of the Somme, later abandoned the work.

Its publication 90 years on follows the success of The Lord of the Rings, which has sold more than 50m copies and was adapted into a trilogy of Oscar-winning films.

The “new” work does not include characters such as Arwen, played by Liv Tyler in the movies directed by Peter Jackson, and Legolas, played by Orlando Bloom.

It is much darker and is based on the Kalevala, an epic poem from Finland. Tolkien, who died at the age of 81 in 1973, took the tale and weaved his own magical story around it.

The Children of Hurin will tell the story of the family of an elf warrior taken prisoner by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, held responsible for torturing elves and producing the first orcs, a race of evil goblins.

Hurin, the elf warrior, is given powers by Morgoth to foresee what will happen to his children. “Death you may yet crave from me as a boon,” Morgoth tells him.

One son, Turin, is manoeuvred into having sex with his sister Nienor and becomes a carrier of doom, triggering the death of everyone close to him.

One Tolkien expert, William Ferguson, said this weekend: “Turin makes folks like Othello and Hamlet and Oedipus look like lucky devils.”

A dragon, slain by Turin, causes Nienor to realise that they have committed incest. By then she is carrying his unborn child and commits suicide by throwing herself into a ravine.

Turin finally kills himself with his talking sword. “I will drink thy blood gladly,” says its black blade.

Tolkien touched briefly on the story in The Silmarillion, a compendium of Middle-earth history: “And when all was done, the elves sang a lament for the Children of Hurin.”

His son revisited the story in a chapter of his father’s Unfinished Tales in 1980, but this will be the first time it has been told in detail in one volume.

Christopher Tolkien said this weekend he believed there was a strong case for completing his father’s long version of the legend, “if this could be done without distortion or invention”.

Tolkien experts welcomed its forthcoming publication. Dorothy Heydt, a writer of fantasy and science fiction, said: “Turin had more grief in his life than anybody ought to. The story is based on a Finnish folk tale and is full of incest and suicide and stuff.”
Adam Tolkien, son of Christopher, said: “The book will be the equivalent of a director’s cut of a DVD, except in this case the director is deceased.

“It is a very educated work. My father has been working on these stories for 30 years. What has already been published is a very condensed version of the story.

“The Silmarillion gives a history of Middle-earth mythology. To give you an idea of the scale, the whole story of The Lord of the Rings takes up [only] 15 pages in The Silmarillion.”

Christopher Tolkien is now 81 and The Children of Hurin, which will be published by HarperCollins in Britain, may be the last “new” book to be issued under the JRR Tolkien name.

Writers’ literary estates lose their entitlement to copyright income 70 years after their death.

Next week sees the publication of a sequel to Peter Pan, commissioned by the estate of JM Barrie to raise money for Great Ormond Street hospital before the copyright expires in 2007.

Nicolette Jones, author and children’s books reviewer for The Sunday Times, said: “There is a lot of mileage in reworking books. The Ian Fleming estate asked Charlie Higson to write books about the young Bond, William Horwood wrote sequels to The Wind in the Willows and there have been Winnie the Pooh spin-offs.

“Given the controversy over whether JK Rowling will bump off Harry Potter, where will that leave a sequel? Somebody, some day is going to try to pick up the story again.”

X-certificate? Thankfully books don't (yet) get 'certificates'!

Interesting point about the copyright expiration.

[Anguirel]

Priceless!

A dragon, slain by Turin, causes Nienor to realise that they have committed incest. By then she is carrying his unborn child and commits suicide by throwing herself into a ravine.

NIENOR: (Examining dragon entrails) Oooo, I'm a Virgo. That means I've committed incest. Dagnabbit.

Turin finally kills himself with his talking sword. “I will drink thy blood gladly,” says its black blade.

Talking Swords-A Must for Angstsy Heroes!*

*Black blades and vampirism come with 50p extra charge

Also, William Ferguson, whoever you are, you're one of the most insightful literary critics it's ever been my pleasure to read...

Originally Posted by davem

This was my immediate thought, but all the statements I've seen so far state that it is all JRRT's work, in his own words.

Perhaps we should take the 320 pages with a pinch of salt. That said, in the Alan Lee illustrated Hobbit there are both colour plates & pencil illustrations on many of the pages, so its possible that we won't get any more material than you mention, but quite a bit of Alan Lee in there...

I am a recent addition to the Barrow Downs, but this thread caught my attention. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed The Silmarillion and have read the Unfinished Tales, and one thing I hold against Christopher Tolkien is that I doubt he is doing what his father would have wished.

I do feel that the books that have been released due to Christopher's "assistance" have added to the Middle Earth that many readers find themselves in, but one does wonder if the Creator himself would have approved of these works being put together and published. What if these were meant to remain private?

I look forward to the release, but like some of the posthumous Ernest Hemingway novels, one must wonder what the author would think.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Elros

I do feel that the books that have been released due to Christopher's "assistance" have added to the Middle Earth that many readers find themselves in, but one does wonder if the Creator himself would have approved of these works being put together and published. What if these were meant to remain private?

I look forward to the release, but like some of the posthumous Ernest Hemingway novels, one must wonder what the author would think.

Ct is fully authorised to do whatever he wants with the unpublished material. From Tolkien's will:

’Upon Trust to allow my son Christopher full access to the same* in order that he may act as my Literary Executor with full power to publish edit alter rewrite or complete any work of mine which may be unpublished at my death or to destroy the whole or any part or parts of any such unpublished works as he in his absolute discretion may think fit and subject thereto’

*unpublished works

Originally Posted by davem

Ct is fully authorised to do whatever he wants with the unpublished material. From Tolkien's will:

Thank you for that immediate clarification of the matter!

That pretty much solves and and all objections I have on the matter.