Tolkien Compared to Contemporary Authors

[onewhitetree]

There are many reasons we love Tolkien's writings. Not only does he make prose absolutely sing with his unparalleled mastery of language, but his pages are enriched with beautiful poetry, and symbolism so deep it can take years for the wisest of scholars to wade through, yet it is so very human and natural that children can understand his themes. It's epic, timeless, universal. Does he stand alone?

Sure, we know all the classics that he's often compared to! C.S. Lewis and MacDonald, of course, and other literary giants like Dickens and Austen. Then there are the more contemporary fantasists (if that's what you call them) like Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. We all know them and they are widely loved.

What I'm looking for is contemporary, non-fantasy authors who you think have skills on a level like Tolkien, who may not be as well known as the classics and big names. Let's widen our literary horizons! Who have you discovered, and what is it about their writing that can compare to the Man himself? Is it versatility of writing style? Clever turns of phrase? A raw and heart-wrenching true story that reveals deeper truths, or a suspension of disbelief so expertly created that you almost forget it isn't real? Or, do you think that there is simply nothing that compares?

I'd love to hear what the Barrow-Downs has in it's library - on the lower shelves, obviously.

[onewhitetree]

To answer my own question, I'd throw out a couple of names.

A.S. Byatt, who is widely respected among scholarly Victorianists (read: about 50 people worldwide ), became better known in the '90s for penning Possession. This was the first of her books I read, and while it took a while (it's something like 600 pages, small type ), it was one of those books, like The Silmarillion, that is like eating a rich meal. You have to go slowly, enjoy it bit by bit, and appreciate the complexities. What impressed me the most was the sheer variety of writing styles, all of them mastered. The book contains prose, poetry, letters, diary entries, and jumps from the 1980s to the Victorian era and back again. In fact, I thought of Tolkien constantly as I read the book - never had I read anything that had anywhere near the same depth and richness, and sheer mastery of written word as his works before!

Once I had read this book, I found some short stories by Byatt, in a compilation called The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye. A couple were also printed in Possession, but several were new. They are like fairy tales for adults - creepy, but with that certain handling of language and image that creates the exquisite feel of a true fairy tale. I guess it's one of those things that's hard to put your finger on, and maybe a subject for another post. Nevertheless, though Tolkien doesn't have "short stories" per se, there are many condensations of much longer tales within his greater works that have that same feel (like the tales of Beren and Luthien, or Turin Turambar).


Another name I'd throw out there is somewhat better known, at least in my mind, Anchee Min. She wrote her autobiography, Red Azalea, about growing up in Maoist China. Her writing is very simple, not at all on the same level as Tolkien with nuance and subtlety, but her expressiveness is really what touches me. It was like reading 1984, only it was a true story. It was terrifying, hopeless at times, but she masters one theme in particular that Tolkien did as well - courage, and the triumph of the human (or hobbit) spirit in the face of certain destruction.

Well, those are my thoughts. I tried to relate aspects of the above choices back to Tolkien to keep it appropriate for this forum. I can't wait to hear some of your answers!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Excellent thoughts on an interesting topic, onewhitetree! I'm moving this to the Novices and Newcomers area of the forum so that it will be widely noticed and hopefully garner a good deal of participation!

[Lush]

Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson. I enjoy her later fiction as well, but this, her second book, is her masterpiece, I think. It's a postmodern fairytale set in an English village in the early 1960's (mostly -- the story goes back in time a lot). I discovered it before I discovered Tolkien, but I think I go back to it for similar reasons. Human Croquet is much more psychologically brutal than a book like Lord of the Rings, but, like Tolkien, Atkinson loves her characters, and, for a postmodern author, she does seem to believe in absolute evil, which is interesting. Her sense of place and atmosphere is also something I admire.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. It's the scope, it's all about the scope. And amazing daring.

I'll be coming back to this later.

[Bêthberry]

Interestingly, there's another writer aside from Byatt who mines the old veins of Victorian literature for her work, Susanna Clarke. Her Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell might be called fantasy or it might be called an alternate history but she does for the myriad styles of the nineteenth century what Tolkien does for the style of the old Northern epics and like Byatt she uses the tools of scholarly style to instill a sense of verisimilitude. (Is that too Victorianist a word to use here? ) She's particularly good at naming names, another Tolkien trait. Her exploration is with magic and fairie and it's both scary and macabre. Also filled with a few historical anachronisms too, although hers is a bit more significant than Tolkien's umbrellas.

[Lush]

Agree wrt Strange & Norrell. Great, great book. I think having read Tolkien before helped me appreciate it that much more. Once again, there are certain writers whose scope and ambition you have to hang back and admire, before you even get into the details of why you love them.

[Galadriel]

Hmm...well, that's a hard question! I am more of a fantasy reader than anything else, but I would say the authors who affected me the most aside from Tolkien were Alice Walker and John Boyne. They canNOT compare to Tolkien, but they left a lasting influence on me, especially Alice Walker. I loved her "The Colour Purple", which you have probably heard of.
Oh, and how could I forget Khaled Hosseini? He is AMAZING. I would highly reccomend his "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Brilliant, just brilliant. I am dying for his new book, which I don't think is out yet
Yet sadly, none of these authors even come close to Tolkien, whose writing had a certain charm that is not present in most other books. I would not even say Harry Potter has the Tolkien charm, though it is well written.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Oh, and how could I forget Khaled Hosseini? He is AMAZING. I would highly reccomend his "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Brilliant, just brilliant. I am dying for his new book, which I don't think is out yet

A Thousand Splendid Suns was very beautiful and touching, but I wouldn't maybe compare Hosseini to Tolkien - unless late 20th century Afghanistan is new Middle-Earth. That's an interesting thought though - I guess we probably know about as much real and concrete facts about them!