J.R.R. Tolkien: a biography by Humphrey Carpenter

     I highly recommend this book.

     Can you read the blurb on the front cover? It says, "Carpenter has an eye for the magic in what's pedestrian, and in his charge a 'quiet life,' such as Tolkien's, becomes an in-depth act of relish." (Paul West, Washington Post)

     This book was a lovely portrayal of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien--a quiet, brilliant man and the creator of a brilliant set of books that started with the creation of a quiet, brave little Hobbit.

Here's the author's note from the front of the book:

"This book is based on the letters, diaries, and other papers of the late Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, and upon the reminiscences of his family and friends.
     "Tolkien himself did not entirely approve of biography. Or rather, he disliked its use as a form of literary criticism. 'One of my strongest opinions,' he once wrote, 'is that investigation of an author's biography is an entirely vain and false approach to his works.' Yet he was undoubtedly aware that the remarkable popularity of his fiction made it highly likely that a biography would be written after his death; and indeed he appears to have made some preparation for this himself, for in the last years of his life he annotated a number of old letters and papers with explanatory notes or other comments. He also wrote a few pages of recollections of his childhood. It may thus be hoped that this book would not be entirely foreign to his wishes.
     "In writing it I have tried to tell the story of Tolkien's life without attempting any critical judgements of his works of diction. This is partly in deference to his own views, but in any case it seems to me that the first published biography of a writer is not necessarily the best place to make literary judgements, which will after all reflect the character of the critic just as much as that of his subject. I have however tried to delineate some of the literary and other influences that came to bear on Tolkien's imagination, in the hope that this may shed some light on his books."

It was an interesting and well-written book. I learned a lot about J.R.R. Tolkien and also quite a bit about the famous Inklings and C.S. Lewis. I learned a little about England and Oxford too. And I really think I need to read Silmarillion. Soon.

Sex: none
Bad language: none