The author of The Lord of the Rings, John Tolkien, is a talented writer who became the progenitor of a new genre in the world of literature and influenced writers of subsequent years. It is not surprising that modern fantasy is built on the archetypes invented by John. The master of the pen was imitated by Christopher Paolini, Terry Brooks and other authors of works.
Childhood and youth
Few people know that John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was actually born on January 3, 1892, in the African town of Bloemfontein, which until 1902 was the capital of the Orange Republic. His father, Arthur Tolkien, a bank manager, along with his pregnant wife Mabel Suffield, moved to this sunny place due to a promotion, and on February 17, 1894, the second son, Hilary, was born to the lovers.
It is known that Tolkien's nationality is determined by German blood - the writer's distant relatives came from Lower Saxony, and John's surname, according to the writer himself, comes from the word "tollkühn", which translates as "recklessly brave." According to surviving information, most of John's ancestors were artisans, while the great-great-grandfather of the writer was the owner of a bookstore, and his son sold fabrics and stockings.
Tolkien's childhood was uneventful, but the writer often recalled an incident that happened to him in early childhood. One day, while walking in the garden under the scorching sun, the boy stepped on a tarantula, and he immediately bit little John. The child ran around the street in a panic until the nanny caught him and sucked the poison out of the wound.
John used to say that the event did not leave terrible memories of eight-legged creatures and he was not possessed by arachnophobia. But, nevertheless, terrible spiders are often found in his many works and pose a danger to fabulous creatures.
When John was 4 years old, he, along with Mabel and his younger brother, went to visit relatives in England. But while the mother and sons were admiring the British landscapes, misfortune happened in Bloemfontein: the main breadwinner in the family died of rheumatic fever, leaving his wife and children without a livelihood.
John Tolkien with younger brother Hilary It so happened that the widow, along with the boys, settled in Sairhole, in the homeland of her ancestors. But Mabel's parents met her inhospitably, because at one time Tolkien's grandparents did not approve of the marriage of their daughter and an English banker.
The parent of John and Hilary, barely making ends meet, did everything in her power. The woman made a bold and eccentric decision for that time - she converted to Catholicism, which was a blatant act for England of those times, which did not accept such a branch of Christianity. This allowed the Baptist relatives to disown Mabel once and for all.
Suffield was spinning like a squirrel on a wheel. She herself taught the children to read and write, and John was known as a diligent student: by the age of four, the boy learned to read and swallowed the classics one by one. Tolkien's favorites were George MacDonald, and the works of the Brothers Grimm and the future writer were not to their liking.
In 1904, Mabel died of diabetes, and the boys were left in the care of her spiritual mentor, Francis Morgan, who served as a priest of the Birmingham church and was fond of philology. In his free time, Tolkien enjoyed painting landscapes, studying botany and ancient languages - Welsh, Old Norse, Finnish and Gothic, thereby showing linguistic talent. When John was 8 years old, the boy entered the school of King Edward.
In 1911, a talented young man organized with his comrades Rob, Geoffrey and Christopher a secret "Tea Club" and a "Barrovian Society". The fact is that the guys loved tea, which was sold illegally at school and in the library. In the autumn of the same year, John continued his studies, his choice fell on the prestigious Oxford University, where the gifted guy entered without much difficulty.
Literature
It so happened that after graduating from university, John went to serve in the army: in 1914, the guy expressed a desire to become a member of the First World War. The young man participated in bloody battles and even survived the battle of the Somme, in which he lost two comrades, because of which Tolkien's hatred of military action pursued the rest of his life.
From the front, John returned disabled and began to earn money by teaching, then climbed the career ladder, and at the age of 30 he received the position of professor of Anglo-Saxon language and literature. Of course, John Tolkien was a talented philologist. Later, he said that he invented fairy-tale worlds only so that the invented language, corresponding to his personal aesthetics, seemed natural.
At the same time, a man who was reputed to be the best linguist at Oxford University took up an inkwell with a pen and came up with his own world, the beginning of which was laid back in school. Thus, the writer created a collection of myths and legends, called "Middle-earth", but later became the "Silmarillion" (the cycle was released by the writer's son in 1977).
Further, on September 21, 1937, Tolkien delighted fantasy fans with The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. It is noteworthy that John invented this work for his young children in order to tell his offspring in the family circle about the brave adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the wise wizard Gandalf, the owner of one of the rings of power. But this tale accidentally got into print and gained wild popularity among readers of all ages.
In 1945, Tolkien presented to the public the story "Niggle's Brush Leaf", saturated with religious allegories, and in 1949 the humorous tale "Farmer Giles of Ham" was published. Six years later, Tolkien begins to work on the epic novel The Lord of the Rings, which is a continuation of the tales of the adventures of a brave hobbit and a powerful wizard in the wonderful world of Middle-earth.
John's manuscript turned out to be voluminous, so the publishing house decided to divide the book into three parts - The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954) and The Return of the King (1955). The book became so famous that Tolkien's "boom" began in the USA, the inhabitants of America swept John's book works from store shelves.
In the 1960s, the cult of Tolkien began in the homeland of jazz, which brought John recognition and fame, it was even said that it was time for the master to present the Nobel Prize in Literature. However, unfortunately, this award bypassed Tolkien.
John then composed The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Scarlet Book (1962), The Road Goes Far and Far (1967), and the short story The Blacksmith of Wootton Big (1967).
The rest of the manuscripts, such as Fairyland Tales (1997), The Children of Hurin (2007), The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun (2009) were published posthumously by John's son Christopher, who later also became a writer who created The History of Middle-earth ”, where he analyzed the unpublished works of his father (the cycle includes the volumes “The Book of Lost Tales”, “The Disposition of Middle-earth”, “Morgoth's Ring” and others).
world of middle earth
It is worth noting that there are biblical stories in Tolkien's works, and the books themselves are the real world, passed through the prism of literary allegories, for example, there is a parallel between Frodo and which is visible to the naked eye.
Rumor has it that John had dreams of the Flood from an early age, was interested in the history of Atlantis, books and epic poems, including trying to translate the story of Beowulf. Therefore, the creation of Middle-earth is not an accident caused by creative inspiration, but a true pattern.
The middle world (as his son calls a part of Tolkien's fictional universe) is what John Ruel devoted his whole life to. Middle-earth is the scene of some of the writer's works, events from The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and partly from The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales develop there.
It is noteworthy that the world, dipping each reader into magical adventures and confrontation between good and evil, is thought out to the smallest detail. John not only meticulously described the territory and the races inhabiting it, but also drew several maps that cover part of the fictional space (not all of them reached publication).
He also came up with a chronology of events up to the solar years, which begin from the Velian era and end with the last battle that completes the history of Arda - Dagor Dagorath. In the books themselves, the writer calls Middle-earth a component of Arda, located in the east and representing the habitat of mortals.
Indeed, John said more than once that the continent was on our planet. True, it existed in the distant past and was a brief episode in the history of the Earth. However, the author spoke of Middle-earth as a secondary reality and a different level of imagination.
The area is divided by the Misty Mountains, to the north is Forochel Bay, surrounded by blue mountains, and to the south is the stronghold of the corsairs. Also, Middle-earth includes the state of Gondor, the region of Mordor, the country of Harad, etc.
The continent invented by Tolkien is inhabited by both people and sharp-sighted elves, hardworking dwarves, cunning hobbits, giant ents and other fabulous creatures who speak the Quenya, Sindarin and Khuzdul languages created by the writer.
As for the flora and fauna, the fictional world is inhabited by ordinary animals, the characters in the books often ride horses and ponies. And from plants in Middle-earth grow wheat, tobacco, rye, root crops, and grapes are also cultivated.
Personal life
Mabel passed on to her son the love of God, so John Tolkien remained a devout Catholic all his life, knowing all church rites. As for politics, here the writer was a traditionalist and sometimes advocated the collapse of Great Britain, and also disliked industrialization, preferring a simple, measured rural life.
From the biography of John it is known that he was an exemplary family man. In 1908, the fantasy author met Edith Brett, who at that time was left an orphan and lived in a boarding house. Lovers often sat in cafes, looked from the balcony at the sidewalk and amused themselves by throwing sugar cubes at passers-by.
But the priest Francis Morgan did not like the relationship between John and Edith: the guardian believed that such a pastime interfered with his studies, and besides, the girl professed a different religion (Brett was a Protestant, but for the sake of marriage she converted to Catholicism). Morgan set a condition for John - he can count on a blessing only when he turns 21 years old.
Edith thought that Tolkien had forgotten her, and even managed to accept a marriage proposal from another boyfriend, but as soon as John became an adult, he was not slow to write a letter to Brett, in which he confessed his feelings.
Thus, on March 22, 1916, the young people had a wedding in Warwick. In a happy marriage that lasted 56 years, four children were born: John, Michael, Christopher and daughter Priscilla.
Death
Edith Tolkien died at the age of 82, and John survived his wife for a year and eight months. The great writer died on September 2, 1973 from a bleeding ulcer. The writer was buried in the same grave with Edith at Wolvercote Cemetery.
It is worth saying that John had a tremendous impact on the culture of subsequent years. Based on John's manuscripts, board and computer games, plays, musical compositions, animation and feature films were invented. The most popular film trilogy is The Lord of the Rings, where other actors played the main roles.
Quotes
- "No man can judge his own holiness"
- “Goblins are not villains, they just have a high level of corruption”
- "The true story of the writer is contained in his books, not in the facts of his biography"
- “When you write a complex story, you must immediately draw a map - then it will be too late”
- “Do not dismiss grandmother's fairy tales, because only in them is the knowledge forgotten by those who considered themselves wise saved”
Bibliography
- 1925 - "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"
- 1937 - The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
- 1945 - Niggle's brush sheet
- 1945 - "The Ballad of Aotru and Itrun"
- 1949 Farmer Giles of Ham
- 1953 - "Return of Beorhtnot, son of Beorhthelm"
- 1954-1955 - The Lord of the Rings
- 1962 - "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Poems from the Scarlet Book"
- 1967 - "The road goes far and far"
- 1967 - "The Blacksmith from Big Wootton"
Books published posthumously:
- 1976 - Letters from Santa Claus
- 1977 - The Silmarillion
- 1998 - "Roverandom"
- 2007 - "Children of Hurin"
- 2009 - "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun"
- 2013 - "The Fall of Arthur"
- 2015 - "History of Kullervo"
- 2017 - "The Tale of Beren and Luthien"
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (Eng. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien; January 3, 1892, Bloemfontein, Orange Republic - September 2, 1973 Bournemouth, England) - English writer, poet, philologist, professor at Oxford University. He is best known as the author of the high fantasy classics The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College. Oxford University (1925-1945), Merton English Language and Literature at Merton College (English) Russian. Oxford University (1945-1959). Together with close friend C.S. Lewis, he was a member of the Inklings, an informal literary society. On March 28, 1972, he received the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) from Queen Elizabeth II.
After Tolkien's death, his son Christopher produced several works based on his father's vast corpus of notes and unpublished manuscripts, including The Silmarillion. This book, together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, constitutes a single collection of fairy tales, poems, stories, artificial languages and literary essays about a fictional world called Arda and its part of Middle-earth. In 1951-1955, Tolkien used the word "Legendarium" to refer to most of this collection. Many authors wrote fantasy before Tolkien, however, due to his great popularity and strong influence on the genre, many call Tolkien the "father" of modern fantasy literature, meaning mainly "high fantasy".
In 2008, the British newspaper The Times ranked him sixth on their list of "The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945". In 2009, the American magazine Forbes named him the fifth highest-earning celebrity who died.
Who is Tolkien John Ronald Reuel? Even children, and first of all, they know that this is the creator of the famous "Hobbit". In Russia, his name became very popular with the release of the cult film. In the homeland of the writer, his works became famous back in the mid-60s, when the student audience of a circulation of a million copies of The Lord of the Rings was not enough. For thousands of young English-speaking readers, the story of Frodo the hobbit has become a favorite. The work created by John Tolkien sold out faster than Lord of the Flies and The Catcher in the Rye.
passion for the hobbit
Meanwhile, in New York, youths were running around with homemade badges that said: “Long live Frodo!”, And everything like that. Among the youth there was a fashion for organizing parties in the Hobbit style. Tolkien societies were created.
But the books that John Tolkien wrote were not only read by students. Among his fans were housewives, and rocket men, and pop stars. Respectable fathers of families discussed the trilogy in London pubs.
It is not easy to talk about who the fantasy author John Tolkien was in real life. The author of cult books himself was convinced that the true life of the writer is contained in his works, and not in the facts of his biography.
Childhood
Tolkien John Ronald Reuel was born in 1892 in South Africa. There, by occupation, was the father of the future writer. In 1895, his mother went with him to England. A year later, news came announcing the death of his father.
Ronald's childhood (that's what his relatives and friends called the writer) passed in the suburbs of Birmingham. At the age of four he began to read. And just a few years later, he experienced an inexpressible desire for the study of ancient languages. Latin for Ronald was like music. And the pleasure of studying it could only be compared with reading myths and heroic legends. But, as John Tolkien later admitted, these books existed in the world in insufficient quantities. Such literature was too scarce to satisfy his reading needs.
Hobbies
At school, in addition to Latin and French, Ronald also studied German and Greek. He became interested in the history of languages and comparative philology quite early, attended literary circles, studied Gothic and even tried to create new ones. Such hobbies, unusual for teenagers, predetermined his fate.
In 1904, his mother died. Thanks to the care of the spiritual guardian, Ronald was able to continue his studies at Oxford University. His specialty was
Army
When the war began, Ronald was in his last year. And after passing the final exams brilliantly, he volunteered for the army. The second lieutenant fell to several months of the bloody battle of the Somme, and then two years in the hospital with a diagnosis of trench typhus.
teaching
After the war, he worked on compiling a dictionary, then received the title of professor of English. In 1925, his account of one of the ancient Germanic legends was published, in the summer of that year, John Tolkien was invited to Oxford. He was too young by the standards of the famous university: only 34 years old. However, behind John Tolkien, whose biography is no less interesting than books, had rich life experience and brilliant works on philology.
mystery book
By this time, the writer was already not only married, but also had three sons. At night, when family chores were over, he continued the mysterious work, begun as a student, - the history of a magical land. Over time, the legend was filled with more and more details, and John Tolkien felt that he had an obligation to tell this story to others.
In 1937, the fairy tale "The Hobbit" was published, which brought the author unprecedented fame. The popularity of the book was so great that the publishers asked the writer to create a sequel. Then Tolkien began work on his epic. But the three-part saga came out only eighteen years later. Tolkien developed all his life. Refinement of the Elvish dialect is being carried out today.
Tolkien characters
Hobbits are incredibly charming creatures that resemble children. They combine frivolity and steadfastness, ingenuity and innocence, sincerity and cunning. And oddly enough, these characters give the world created by Tolkien, authenticity.
The protagonist of the first story constantly risks to get out of the maelstrom of all sorts of misadventures. He has to be bold and inventive. With the help of this image, Tolkien seems to be telling his young readers about the limitlessness of the possibilities that they have. And another feature of Tolkien's characters is love of freedom. Hobbits get along just fine without leaders.
"Lord of the Rings"
Why did the professor from Oxford strike the minds of modern readers so much? What are his books about?
Tolkien's works are dedicated to the eternal. And the components of this seemingly abstract concept are good and evil, duty and honor, great and small. In the center of the plot is a ring, which is nothing more than a symbol and tool of unlimited power, that is, what almost every person secretly dreams of.
This topic is very relevant at all times. Everyone wants power and is sure that they know exactly how to properly use it. Tyrants and other terrible personalities in history, as contemporaries believe, are stupid and unfair. But the one who wants to acquire power today will supposedly be wiser, more humane and more humane. And maybe make the whole world happier.
Only Tolkien's heroes refuse the ring. There are kings and brave warriors, mysterious magicians and omniscient sages, beautiful princesses and gentle elves in the work of the English writer, but in the end they all bow to a simple hobbit who was able to fulfill his duty and was not tempted by power.
In recent years, the writer was surrounded by universal recognition, received the title of Doctor of Literature. Tolkien died in 1973, and four years later the final version of The Silmarillion was published. The work was completed by the writer's son.
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel(Tolkien) (1892-1973), English writer, doctor of literature, artist, professor, philologist-linguist. One of the founders of the Oxford English Dictionary. Fairy tale author hobbit(1937), novel Lord of the Rings(1954), mythological epic Silmarillion (1977).
Father - Arthur Reuel Tolkien, a bank clerk from Birmingham, moved in search of happiness to South Africa. Mother - Mabel Suffield. In January 1892 they had a boy.
Tolkien created hobbits - "low clicks" - charming, captivatingly authentic creatures that look like children. Combining stamina and frivolity, curiosity and childish laziness, incredible ingenuity with innocence, cunning and gullibility, courage and courage with the ability to avoid trouble.
First of all, it is the hobbits that give such credibility to Tolkien's world.
February 17, 1894 Mabel Suffield gave birth to their second son. The local heat had a bad effect on the health of children. Therefore, in November 1894, Mabel takes her sons to England.
By the age of four, thanks to the efforts of his mother, little John already knew how to read and even wrote the first letters.
In February 1896, Tolkien's father began to bleed heavily and died suddenly. Mabel Suffield took care of all the children. She received a good education. She spoke French and German, knew Latin, drew excellently, and played the piano professionally. She passed on all her knowledge and skills to her children.
A great influence on the initial formation of John's personality was also made by his grandfather John Suffield, who was proud of his pedigree of craftsmen-engravers. John's mother and grandfather strongly supported John's early interest in Latin and Greek.
In 1896, Mabel and his children moved from Birmingham to the village of Sarhole. It was in the vicinity of Sarhole that Tolkien became interested in the world of trees, seeking to recognize their secrets. It is no coincidence that unforgettable, most interesting trees appear in Tolkien's creations. And the mighty giants of Listven amaze readers in his trilogy - Lord of the Rings.
No less passionately fond of Tolkien elves and dragons. Dragons and elves will become the main characters of the first fairy tale composed by Ronald at the age of seven.
In 1904, as soon as John was twelve years old, his mother died of diabetes. The children's guardian is their distant relative, the priest, Father Francis. The brothers again move to Birmingham. Feeling longing for free hills, fields and favorite trees, John is looking for new attachments and spiritual support. More and more fond of drawing, revealing extraordinary abilities. By the age of fifteen, he amazes school teachers with an obsession with philology. He reads an old English poem Beowulf, returns to medieval legends about knights round table (cm. ARTHUR'S LEGENDS). Soon he independently begins to study the Old Icelandic language, then he gets to German books on philology.
The joy of learning ancient languages captivates him so much that he even invents his own language "Nevbosh", that is, "new nonsense", which he creates in collaboration with his cousin Mary. The writing of funny limericks becomes for young people fascinating fun and at the same time acquaintance with such pioneers of English absurdism as Edward Lear, Hilaire Belok and Gilbert Keith Chesterton. Continuing to study Old English, Old Germanic, and a little later Old Finnish, Icelandic and Gothic, John "absorbs an immense amount" of their fairy tales and legends.
At sixteen, John met Edith Bratt, his first and last love. Five years later they got married and lived a long life, having given birth to three sons and a daughter. But first, five years of hard trials fell to their lot: John's unsuccessful attempt to enter Oxford University, Edith's categorical rejection by his father Francis, the horrors of the First World War, typhus, which John Ronald had twice been ill with.
In April 1910, Tolkien saw a play in the Birmingham theater Peter Pan based on a play by James Barry. "It's indescribable, but I won't forget it as long as I live," John wrote.
Still, luck smiled at John. After a second attempt at Oxford in 1910, Tolkien learned that he had been given a scholarship to Exeter College. And thanks to an exit scholarship from King Edward's School and additional funds provided by Father Francis, Ronald could already afford to go to Oxford.
During his last summer vacation, John visited Switzerland. He writes in his diary. “Once we went on a long hike with guides to the Aletsch glacier, and there I almost died…”. Before returning to England, Tolkien bought some postcards. One of them depicted an old man with a white beard, wearing a round wide-brimmed hat and a long cloak. The old man was talking to a white deer. Many years later, upon discovering a postcard in the bottom of one of the drawers of his desk, Tolkien wrote: "Gandalf's prototype." So in the imagination of John appeared for the first time one of the most famous heroes lord of the rings.
Entering Oxford, Tolkien meets with the famous self-taught professor Joe Wright. He strongly advises the novice linguist to "take up the Celtic language seriously." The passion for Ronald and the theater is growing. He plays in R. Sheridan's play Rivals role of Mrs. Malaprop. By the time he came of age, he wrote a play himself - Detective, cook and suffragist for home theatre. Tolkien's theatrical experiences turned out to be not only useful for him, but also necessary.
In 1914, as World War I broke out, Tolkien hurried to get his degree from Oxford so he could volunteer for the army. At the same time he enters the courses of radio operators-communicators. In July 1915, he takes an early exam in English language and literature for a bachelor's degree and receives a first class honors. After military training in Bedford, he was awarded the rank of second lieutenant and assigned to serve in the Lancashire Rifles. In March 1916 Tolkien marries, and already on July 14, 1916 he goes into the first battle.
He was destined to be in the center of a meat grinder on the Somme, where tens of thousands of his compatriots died. Having known all the "horrors and abominations of the monstrous massacre", John hated both the war and the "inspirers of terrible battles ...". However, he retained admiration for his comrades in arms. Later he would write in his diary: “perhaps without the soldiers with whom I fought, the country of Hobbitania would not exist. And without Hobbitania and Hobbits there would be no lord of the rings". Death bypassed John, but he was overtaken by another terrible misfortune - "trench fever" - typhus, which claimed more lives in the First World War than bullets and shells. Tolkien hurt him twice. From the hospital at Le Touquet he was sent by ship to England.
In rare hours, when a terrible illness let go of John, he conceived and began to write the first drafts of his fantastic epic - Silmarillion, the story of the three magic rings of omnipotent power.
The war ends in 1918. John and his family move to Oxford. He is allowed to compose General New English Dictionary. Here is a review from a friend of the writer, linguist Clive Stiles Lewis: “He (Tolkien) went inside the language. For he possessed a unique ability to feel both the language of poetry and the poetry of language at the same time.
In 1924 he was approved as a professor, and in 1925 he was awarded the chair of the Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford. At the same time, he continues to work on Silmarillion, creating a new incredible world. A kind of another dimension with its own history and geography, phenomenal animals and plants, real and unreal beings.
While working on the dictionary, Tolkien had the opportunity to think about the composition and appearance of tens of thousands of words that absorbed the Celtic beginning, Latin, Scandinavian, Old German and Old French influences. This work further stimulated his gift as an artist, helped to unite different categories of living beings and different times and spaces into his Tolkien world. At the same time, Tolkien did not lose his "literary soul". His scientific works were imbued with the imagery of writer's thinking.
He also illustrated many of his fairy tales, especially liked to depict humanized trees. A special place is occupied by the letters of Santa Claus illustrated by him to children. The letter was specially written in the "trembling" handwriting of Santa Claus, "who had just escaped from a terrible blizzard."
Tolkien's most famous books are inextricably linked. hobbit And Lord of the Rings were written, in total, from 1925 to 1949. The protagonist of the first story hobbit Bilbo Baggins has the same opportunities for self-expression in a vast and complex world as a child discoverer. Bilbo is constantly taking risks to get out of threatening adventures, he must be resourceful and courageous all the time. And one more circumstance. Hobbits are a free people, there are no leaders in Hobbitania, and Hobbits do just fine without them.
But hobbit was just a prelude to Tolkien's great other world. The key to looking into other dimensions and a warning. Serious food for thought. The action-packed tale repeatedly hints at a world of much more significant improbability lurking behind it. Transitional bridges to the infinite future are two of the most mysterious characters hobbit- the magician Gandalf and a creature named Gollum. hobbit was published on September 21, 1937. The first edition was sold out by Christmas.
The tale wins the New York Herald Tribune's Best Book of the Year Award. hobbit becomes a bestseller. Then appeared Lord of the Rings.
This epic novel has become an elixir of love of life for tens of millions of people, a road to the unknowable, a paradoxical proof that it is the thirst for knowledge of miracles that moves the worlds.
Nothing in Tolkien's novel is accidental. Whether it's the snarling faces that once flickered on the canvases of Bosch and Salvador Dali or in the works of Hoffmann and Gogol. So the names of the elves came from the language of the former Celtic population of the Wales Peninsula. Dwarves and magicians are named, as the Scandinavian saga suggested, people are called names from the Irish heroic epic. Tolkien's own inventions of fantastic creatures have the basis of "folk poetic imagination".
Working time on lord of the rings coincided with World War II. Undoubtedly, all the experiences and hopes of that time, doubts and aspirations of the author could not but be reflected in the life of even his other being.
One of the main virtues of his novel is a prophetic warning about the mortal danger lurking in the boundless Power. Only the unity of the most courageous and wise champions of goodness and reason, capable of stopping the grave-diggers of the joy of being, is capable of resisting this.
First two volumes lord of the rings came out in 1954. In 1955, the third volume was published. “This book is like a bolt from the blue,” exclaimed the famous writer C.S. Lewis. “For the very history of the novel-history, dating back to the time of Odysseus, this is not a return, but progress, moreover, a revolution, the conquest of new territory.” The novel was translated into many languages of the world and was sold at first in a million copies, and today it has surpassed the bar of twenty million. The book has become a cult among the youth of many countries.
Detachments of Tolkinists, dressed in knightly armor, still organize games, tournaments and “campaigns of honor and valor” in the USA, England, Canada, and New Zealand to this day.
Tolkien's creations first began to appear in Russia in the mid-1970s. Today, the number of Russian fans of his work is not inferior to the number of adherents of Tolkien's world in other countries.
Came to the screens of the world The Fellowship of the Ring And Two strongholds directed by Peter Jackson (filmed in New Zealand), and among the young and very young, a new wave of interest in the novel has risen Lord of the Rings.
The last story Tolkien wrote in 1965 is called Blacksmith of Great Wootton.
In his last years, Tolkien is surrounded by universal recognition. In June 1972 he received the title of Doctor of Literature from Oxford University, and in 1973 at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth presented the writer with the Order of the British Empire of the second degree.
Aleksandr Kuznetsov
British writer, outstanding linguist and founder of the fantasy literary genre. He wrote famous novels about Middle-earth: The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, and The Silmarillion. He became a pioneer in the creation of fairy tales for adults.
Biography
Tolkien taught Anglo-Saxon and English Language and Literature at Oxford University with great success. He was a member of the Inklings society, which included his good friend Clive Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia. In 1927, Tolkien was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Based on the notes and manuscripts of his father, Christopher Tolkien, the son of the famous storyteller, organized the publication of the so-called legendarium - all additional stories, legends, history, explanations and real linguistic works related to the fictional world of Arda. The most popular of Tolkien's unpublished works was The Silmarillion. This happened after the death of the author himself.
Although Tolkien did not become the first to become interested in the fantasy genre, the completeness of his works, the perfection of the idea, the thoughtfulness of the picture of the world make him worthy of the title of the ancestor of fantasy literature.
Rod Tolkien
Most biographers agree that the Tolkiens descended from Saxon artisans. In the 17th century, the ancestors of John Tolkien's father settled in England. The writer's surname comes from the word "Tollkiehn", which can be translated as "brave". According to John Ronald's grandmother, even the Hohenzollerns themselves were among their ancestors.
Mabel Suffield, who was destined to become the mother of a great author, was a native Englishwoman. Her parents lived in Birmingham and were quite successful businessmen. Their store in the city center brought a consistently good income.
Childhood
John Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in South Africa. At this time, his parents lived in the city of Bloemfontein, where Arthur Reuel Tolkien (1870-1904) held the position of a bank manager. Two years later, the second child appeared in the Tolkien family - Hilary Arthur Reuel.
The terrible heat was an ordeal for small children, and even more dangerous was the local nature. Lions and snakes were part of the everyday life of the British family. The bite of a tarantula caused the most serious illness of a young John. The future writer owed his recovery to the doctor Thornton Quimby. According to critics, it was his image that the writer took as a basis for creating the character of The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf the Gray.
In 1994, the parents took the children back to the UK. In February 1996, Arthur Tolkien passed away. He was tormented by rheumatic fever and, as a result of the bleeding, the head of the Tolkien family left the world, leaving his wife and two sons practically without a livelihood.
Mabel was forced to ask for help from her family, which was not easy for her - her relatives did not approve of her marriage. The Tolkiens settled near Birmingham, in Sairhole. The children liked the tree very much. Magnificent nature, hills and old trees made this place a paradise for boys to play. The family's income was more than modest, they could hardly make ends meet. Being in a difficult situation, the mother of two boys found solace in religion, becoming a Catholic. This decision caused a break with relatives who adhered to the Anglican religion. Thanks to the mother, the children also had strong religious beliefs. John Tolkien was a staunch Catholic until the end of his days. Under the influence of the writer, Clive Lewis also converted to Christianity, but he was closer to the orders of the Anglican Church.
Despite financial difficulties, Mabel's sons received a good education. Their mother was very involved in their upbringing. By the age of four, John Ruel could read. This skill opened the world of literature for the boy, laid the foundation for the formation of literary tastes. He was not interested in the fairy tales of the Grimm brothers, he did not like Treasure Island either, but he reread Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Lang's Fairy Book and all kinds of stories about Indians with pleasure. In addition to reading, Tolkien was fond of botany and drawing - he was especially good at landscapes. Even as a child, John comprehended the basics of Latin and Greek, which became the first stone in the construction of the incredibly wide linguistic knowledge of the future university professor. In 1900, John became a student at the King Edward School, where his linguistic talent was appreciated. He studies Old English, Old Norse, Gothic, Welsh and Finnish.
John Ronald's mother was only 34 when diabetes took her life. In 1904 the children left Sayrehole, returning to Birmingham. They were taken care of by a church minister and distant relative, Father Francis. Deprived of the open spaces of Sairhole, yearning for his mother, John Ronald is completely immersed in books and painting. He amazes teachers with his erudition, showing a deep interest in medieval literature. Independently takes up the study of the Old Norse language.
The writer's close school friends were Jeffrey Smith, Christopher Wiseman and Rob Gilson. Friends will remain dear to John even after graduation. When Tolkien was fifteen, he and his cousin Mary invented a new language, the so-called Nevbosh. Later, fictional languages would become the hallmark of his writings, and thousands of people would seek to learn Tolkien's Elvish speech.
Youth
Together with twelve friends in 1911, Tolkien made a trip to Switzerland. From a letter written by John in 1968, it is known that it was to this trip that the world owes the birth of the story of Bilbo Baggins' fabulous journey through the Misty Mountains.
In October 1911 Tolkien entered Exeter College, Oxford on his second attempt.
John Ronald met his first love in 1908. Her name was Edith Mary Brett, the girl was three years older than John. Father Francis spoke out categorically against the young man's hobby, because it was precisely because of the love fever that Tolkien failed to enter college on the first attempt. Not in favor of Edith played and her Protestant religion. The guardian made John promise that until he reaches the age of 21 he will not meet with this girl. The writer agreed to Father Francis's demands and did not maintain contact with Edith until he came of age.
At the university, Tolkien, following the advice of Professor Joe Wright, begins to study the Celtic language. He is also deepening his knowledge of Finnish linguistics.
Maturity
On his 21st birthday, John wrote a letter to Edith. In it, he invited the girl to become his wife. But by this time, Edith was already engaged to another young man, believing that the long separation made John Ronald forget about her. Breaking off the engagement, she agreed to Tolkien's proposal. Respecting the religious beliefs of the groom, Edith even adopted the Catholic faith. In 1913, John and Edith officially became engaged in Birmingham.
Upon learning that Britain was entering the war, Tolkien became an apprentice in the War Training Corps in 1914, which bought him the time he needed to finish university. After graduating with honors, in 1915 John Ronald joined the Lancashire Fusiliers with the rank of second lieutenant. The writer also completed an 11-month training program in Staffordshire - in the 13th battalion.
On March 22, 1916, the long-awaited wedding of John and Edith took place. They married at St Mary's Church in Warwick. The newlyweds were destined for more than 55 years of a happy life together, and these years were full of mutual understanding. Their union produced three sons and a daughter, Priscilla.
Already in July, Tolkien left his young wife and went to the front. The 11th battalion of the British Expeditionary Forces, in which Tolkien served, was sent to France. The future writer remembered this journey with a shudder for many years. Despite the secrecy of his movements, John was able to inform his wife about his location, thanks to a secret code he invented.
November 16, 1917 John Ronald becomes the father of a boy, who was named John Francis Ruel.
War in Tolkien's life
The war turned out to be worse than everyone expected. During the Battle of the Somme, two of John's old friends, Smith and Gilson, were killed. All the horrors he saw made Tolkien a convinced pacifist. At the same time, he developed great respect for his brothers in arms, amazed at the courage that ordinary people are capable of. Although Tolkien escaped a fatal fate, he fell victim to another scourge of war - typhus. The disease was very difficult and twice the comrades no longer looked forward to seeing John Ronald alive, but he was able to overcome the disease, although he became disabled.
November 8, 1916 Tolkien went home. The state of health of the author required close attention for a long time. He returned to Birmingham, where Edith cared for her slowly recovering husband. There he worked on the sketches from which The Silmarillion was later compiled. When the disease receded, Tolkien returned to the military camp, where he soon received the rank of lieutenant.
Career
In 1918, the Tolkien family moved to Oxford, where John Ronald took an active part in the creation of the General Dictionary of the New English Language. In 1922, the writer was offered a professorship at Oxford University. Tolkien taught Anglo-Saxon language and literature. The fame of the brilliant young professor was rapidly spreading throughout the scientific world.
In 1937, thanks to Stanley Unwin, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, written by Tolkien for his four children, was printed. The author was awarded the New York Herald Tribune Prize. Unprecedented sales made The Hobbit a bestseller. The tale was a resounding success, and Sir Unwin remarked that a sequel should be written. No one expected that Tolkien would take the work on the second work of the Middle-earth cycle so seriously. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was released only in 1954 and in a matter of days won the popularity of British readers. Although Anuin liked Tolkien's work, he did not think that the novel was destined for such a success. The book has been divided into three parts to make it easier for publishers.
