Letters to the Editor
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Qs for Tolkien Fans
I'm not into Tolkien but I can appreciate the amazing mind at work behind his universe. I read the first two parts of the ring trilogy. I found the books engaging and impressive and sometimes ridiculous and tedious. (See the quote from the book cited in the review...amazing, creative and also annoying). But I came to the books as an adult, and I'm sure reading them as a child would have put a different spin on them. There are two things I always wonder that I am sure his fans will be so kind as to answer for me:
1. How do you feel about Christopher's stewardship of his father's work, including not just licensing for motion pictures, but more importantly his work as editor/author? What were Tolkien's wishes? Are you just happy that more of his vision is out there for public consumption? Is your opinion different because his mythology is so vast and detailed that it would be a shame not to publish it?
I've always been on the side of the author's intent. Sometimes it is not easy to determine what that is. The musician Jeff Buckley died and his mother as guardian of his estate has put out rough material from his unfinished second album (and everything else that exists). I've been bothered by this...His death is still a terrible loss for the music world and his influence is heard every day now. Same for Tupac. Still putting out albums. I hear that Vonnegut does not want anything published after his death. I support this even though I would love to get a look at the unfinished novel about a comedian at the end of the world. Add Ellison's Juneteenth to the abandoned novel category.
2. How much of Tolkien's world has been pilfered from other sources, from Norse mythology and the oral traditions of the middle ages? "Pilfer" may sound a bit harsh, but consider that Shakespeare relied heavily on source material for his plays, so many things are pilfered. I don't mean it in a negative sense. This review mentioned Beowulf and the Finnish epic poem Kalevala. Beowulf is ubiquitous on college campuses now; but what of the literature of the Finns, Balts and Scandinavians? It seems like Tolkien would have wanted his writing to renew interest in those rich oral and literary traditions, I wonder if it has. It is getting harder for non-English language books to be published in the US, which sadly means we are missing out on the best of world literature, new and old. Do we lack English translations that are more than serviceable?