An interview with J.R.R. Tolkien

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I have deep misgivings about posting this, since many of you may be aware of it already. However, since our search appears not to recognise the name of the interviewer I may be safe.

Tolkien was shy of interviews once his fame became widespread, but he would do favours for former students (his last radio interview was also conducted by an old Oxonian). One such was the late Daphne Castell, who visited him at home in 1966 and later published this interview in New Worlds. I'm posting a link here since Tolkien's comments and those of other authors in the genre touch on many of the discussions here. Some of the personal anecdotes about Tolkien himself are also well worth reading, since they highlight his generous and kindly disposition, which is often hidden by his shyness of personal publicity. Look out for Michael Moorcock, who is much kinder in his comments here than in an interview that was mentioned recently in another thread.

Queen Berúthiel threads, please copy.

Daphne Castell interviews J.R.R. Tolkien

[MatthewM]

Thank you for this! What an amazing interview. The interviewer was great and I haven't read before about some of the things Tolkien had said. I love when she asks him if there are any scenes he considers his favorites, and the one he describes---

"I wanted to know whether he would choose any particular passages as his own favourites. After a little thought, he said that there were two places in The Lord of the Rings which stayed in his own mind more than others, and which he still found himself moved by when he thought of them. One is the point at which the cock crows in the pause before the great battle in the Pelennor fields. Gandalf, who has gained in stature as the story grows, from the smoke-ring blowing, slightly comic old wizard of The Hobbit to the Enemy of Sauron, the power for good of the Third Age of the world, confronts the King of the Nazgûl, the wraith which is all the more dreadful because it is invisible to all except the Ring-wearer. Then the cock crows, caring nothing for battle or death, welcoming the morning, and at the same moment the horns of the North, the horns of the riders of Rohan are heard echoing on the sides of the mountains."

Awesome.

Everybody should read this interview, see for yourself.

[drigel]

Thats a great read. My only thought was: "You took the time to ask him about Queen Berúthiel, but not Bombadil?? why??????" arrgh

I totally agree with the crow. horns, horns....