J. R. R. Tolkien was born on this date, January 3, way back in 1892. I’ve done a number of birthday posts on him, so I’ll not rehash those.
Today, I want to ruminate a bit, if you’ll allow a bit of self-indulgence. Tolkien has been on my mind some lately. I’m not really sure why. It may have something to do with having heard a Led Zeppelin song on the radio the other day, but I don’t think that was it. He was on my mind before that. Continue reading
J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was born on this day, January 3.
It has become fashionable to bash on Tolkien for not being sufficiently woke or for taking up too much shelf space in bookstores. One marketing technique is now to make controversial statements about his and his work if you have a book coming out. Such tactics and complaints are the habits of lesser writers.
Tolkien was the greatest fantasy author of the 20th Century. This is a hill I am prepared to die on. (Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and H. P. Lovecraft aren’t far behind.)
Most people are familiar with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. His other writings, not so much. Sadly, I have to include myself in that group. I’ve not read enough of his other work, although I’ve read bits and pieces. That’s something I intend to correct over the coming year.
I’m open to suggestions as to what some of you who are better read would recommend as a starting point.
I was going to do a review in honor of H. P. Lovecraft’s birthday (August 20, 1890-1937) , but then one of the usual suspects, a writer noted for ripping off writing in the styles of better writers from a previous generation ignited a small tempest in a teapot about the need of having a canon, or in his case, not having one. No, that’s not a typo in the title of this post. He wants to fire the canon, as in “You’re fired”. Those are my terms, not his, just to be clear.
So here are my thoughts, using the Gentleman From Providence as a key example since it’s become so fashionable to hate on him. And John W. Campbell, Jr., and Issac Asimov, and Robert E. Howard, and… Continue reading
J. R. R. Tolkien was born on this date, January 3, in 1892. He needs no introduction. I’ve written several tributes to him in the past. I’m not sure what I can say.
Last year I started rereading The Lord of the Rings and took it with me on a business trip to Costa Rica. My father-in-law passed away while I was there. I read as much as I could, or tried to, on the flight back. I managed to get somewhere in the first half of The Two Towers. I want to finish it this spring.
I also want to read some of the other works which deal with other Ages in MIddle Earth.
Tolkien’s world is so rich and detailed, I want to experience as much as I can. He casts a long shadow over the field of fantasy, longer than either Lovecraft or Howard. I think part of the reason his works have endured for so long is because he writes about universal virtues, such as courage, loyalty, and sacrifice. We need more of that these days.
So tonight, Professor Tolkien, I’ll raise a glass in your honor. The world is a better place because of your life and your writings. I am glad to work in your shadow.
Today, January 3, is the birthday of J. R. R. Tolkien (b. 1892). A month or so ago, a minor writer of short stories pulled the ol’ drum-up-publicity-for-my-book-launch-by-attcking-someone-greater-than-me trick.
It worked, just not the way the guy that thought. At least with me. I’ve started rereading The Lord of the Rings. Other than The Hobbit, I’ve never read deeply in Tolkien’s other works. I’ve decided to change that and have gotten several volumes in The History of Middle-Earth. I don’t know if I’ll blog about them, but I’m going to dip into them over the course of 2019.
Also, there are two birthdays from yesterday I didn’t mention because I was slightly distracted by my wife’s surgery.
Those were Charles Beaumont (b. Jan. 2, 1929) and Robert Nathan (b. Jan. 2, 1894). Beaumont I’ve written about before. A protege of Ray Bradbury, he wrote some great short stories and a number of well-regarded Twilight Zone scripts. I’ll try to read something of his in the next day or so.
Robert Nathan is best remembered for his short novel Portrait of Jenny. It’s a love story set in the Great Depression about an artist who keeps meeting a girl in the park. He meets her every few weeks, but each time she’s a few years older. It’s not an adventure story, but it’s one of my favorite novels. It’s definitely worth tracking down.
In case you’ve missed it, a science fiction and fantasy writer of some small critical acclaim (he won a Nebula a while back and has taught at a high end writer’s workshop) has made statements saying Tolkien was racist. His evidence? Orcs, according to this writer, represent black people.
Personally, I think it’s racist to compare orcs to any race. This is fantasy, and there are a number of races in Tolkien’s works. Hobbits, elves, humans, dwarves. What ethnic group are they supposed to represent?
I think part of this is an attempt to drum up publicity because he as a new collection out. (I’m not going tell you who he is because I don’t want to give him any publicity.) Remember, this is a writer of some critical acclaim. In other words, he hasn’t published any novels and isn’t making a living from his writing.
I know it’s fashionable to attack the giants of the genre. It’s how you get a seat at the cool kids’ table. Personally, considering who some of the cook kids in the field are, I have no desire to sit at their table.
I do feel an urge to reread Tolkien, and the holiday break is coming. Tolkien is one of the masters of the form, and one who will be remembered long after many of the so called cool kids will be long forgotten.
I’m gonna rant.
There was a post the other day that I’m not going to link to because I don’t want to give the site the clicks. Fortunately someone archived it.
TL;DR version:
The author, one Matt Mikalatos, laments that rereading a childhood favorite (The Once and Future King by T. H. White) didn’t live up to his expectations, specifically there were some things said that he found to be racially insensitive. I’ve never read the book, so I can’t say for sure. He’s specific enough that I’m willing to give him the benefit of doubt. Continue reading
Tales Before Tolkien
Douglas A. Anderson, ed.
Print $16.00
Ebook $4.99
Deuce Richardson has been encouraging me to read H. Rider Haggard for quite a while. I’ve been intending to, and this story provided me with the perfect chance.
This story is more historical than fantasy, but there are some fantastic elements. It takes place just before the Zulu uprising of January 1879. Philip Hadden is a ne’er-do-well who is working as a trader. When he kills a man in a fight, he is forced to flee into Zulu territory.
This isn’t the wisest of moves. Continue reading
H. P. Lovecraft
I’d intended to post my next review for the Pre-Tolkien Fantasy Challenge over the weekend, but I was a lazy bum. Since today is Lovecraft’s birthday (also my mother-in-law’s), I postponed that post to discuss Lovecraft and Tolkien in general terms.
First, their similarities. They are arguably the two most influential writers of the fantastic of the previous century. Their influence is considerable decades after their deaths. Much of what is written in fantasy today, especially in the epic fantasy, multiple volume “trilogy” format is a reaction/rebellion to Tolkien. Much Lovecraftian fiction is in reaction to Lovecraft’s work, whether stylistically or in response to some attitude Lovecraft held. Continue reading
Tales Before Tolkien
Douglas A. Anderson, ed.
trade paperback $16
ebook $4.99
Yeah, okay, this may be cheating a bit, but if we’re going to be looking at stories that preceded The Lord of the Rings and may have inspired Tolkien, why not start here?
I’m going to look at two stories in this book, one by William Morris and the other by H. Rider Haggard in an upcoming post. For the third, I’ll read something from another source by a different author. There’s been a lot of interest in Lord Dunsany, so I’ll probably let others focus on his stories.
For this post, I’m going to look at a piece of short fiction by William Morris, “The Folk of the Mountain Door”. There will be minor spoilers. Continue reading