Tag Archives: Christopher Tolkien

A Ham of Note in the History of Literature (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Last year I introduced an occasional feature I call “Throwback Thursday.” This is where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own blog-hoard or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This might be … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Memorable Quotes, Throwback Thursdays | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christopher Tolkien, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, david downing, ham, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, letters, literature, Looking for the King, Lord David Cecil, owen barfield, rationing, WWII | 9 Comments

The Last Letter of J.R.R. Tolkien, on the 45th Anniversary of His Death

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I have just finished reading The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (1982), which is fitting given that this is the 45th anniversary of his death (2 Sep 1973). With help from Christopher Tolkien, noted writer, broadcaster, and biographer Humphrey Carpenter collected the letters … Continue reading →

Posted in L.M. Montgomery, Letters | Tagged Christopher Tolkien, Death, diary, Dorothy L. Sayers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Humphrey Carpenter, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, letters, The Fall of Gondolin, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Walter Hooper | 24 Comments

The Inklings and Arthur Book Wins the Mythopoeic Award!

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Oddest Inkling:
I am utterly astonished and delighted to announce that The Inklings and King Arthur has won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies! This is a prestigious award that “is given to books on Tolkien, Lewis, and/or…

Posted in Inklings and Arthur, News & Links | Tagged academics, Arthur, Arthuriana, Christopher Tolkien, Inklings, Inklings and Arthur, Inklings and King Arthur, Jane Chance, Sorina Higgins, Tolkien Studies, Verlyn Flieger | 12 Comments

Of Beren and Lúthien, Of Myth and the Worlds We Love

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t think I have ever read anything better than the tale of Beren and Lúthien. It is a bold statement, so allow me to give some context. One of the things that readers love about The Lord of the Rings … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Beowulf, Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Arthur, The Hobbit, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, The Legend of Sigurn and Gudrún, The Silmarillion, The Story of Kullervo, writing | 23 Comments

The Tolkien Letter that Every Lover of Middle-earth Must Read

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

It is sort of a trick, isn’t it? Any true Tolkien fan will say that every page in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is essential. However, not everyone enjoys letters as much as I do. Some might absolutely love The Lord of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christopher Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, J.B.S. Haldane, J.R.R. Tolkien, letters, Lord of the Rings, Naomi Mitchison, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion | 16 Comments

Christmas With J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father Christmas Letters

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

What a find! At a yard sale a good friend scored a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Father Christmas Letters and she was good enough to give it to me. Published by his daughter-in-law in 1976 on the 3rd anniversary of Tolkien’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Letters, Memorable Quotes | Tagged art, art of letter writing, children's literature, Christmas, Christopher Tolkien, fantasy, Father Christmas, J.R.R. Tolkien, letters, literature, Lord of the Rings, myth, Santa Claus, writing | 20 Comments

The Shocking Reason Tolkien Finished The Lord of the Rings

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

J.R.R. Tolkien was a notoriously difficult writer to get to print. That The Hobbit found its way to store shelves was something of a publishing miracle, and it took Tolkien 15 years to write part two, “the new Hobbit,” which we … Continue reading →