"The Downsters And The Critics"

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thanks for reviewing that wonderful book, lindil! I read it a year or two ago and very much enjoyed it. As a fan of the "minor works", I especially liked his chapter discussing them, most notably the "autobiographical allegories." I agree, this book is well worth reading for anyone interested in background information to Tolkien's works.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

During my recent vacation, I read an old Tolkien biography that I found on my brother’s bookshelf and talked him into letting me keep. I suppose it could be called obsolete, since it dates back to 1976 and the author did not have access to information and documents because the family did not support nor cooperate with him. It was written before Humphrey’s official biography, which appeared one year later. Here’s a brief summary of the book.

• Title – J.R.R.Tolkien – Architect of Middle Earth
• Author – Daniel Grotta-Kurska
• Publisher – Warner Books
• Date of Copyright – 1976
• Edition – first (and presumably only)
  
• Summary description of the book's main themes – Each chapter of this biography deals with a period of JRRT’s life, from “The Young Lad” to “The Recluse”.
  
• Strengths and weaknesses of the book – Since the author had to rely on what research he was able to do, largely on his own, he presents a different view of Tolkien than the official biography. Writing as an American, primarily for Americans, he explains a lot of socio-cultural background which is often unfamiliar to those readers, for example the British school/university system. That is the book’s greatest strength, as I see it. He also draws his own conclusions and deductions from the information available to him, making plain by the way he states them that they are his own ideas. This is both strength and weakness, since some of his conclusions are later proved wrong from Tolkien’s documents/letters. The unofficial status of the book is a weakness as well; several passages of it had to be deleted for legal reasons. (Reading the notice of that fact made me all the more curious about what might have been there!)
  
• Whether you generally recommend this book and why – This is no substitute for Carpenter’s biography and is most likely no longer available, since I have not heard of it elsewhere. For completists who come across it and enjoy tidbits of additional information after reading Carpenter’s biography, it’s worth it.
  
• Whether you specifically recommend it for novices and why – Beginners who want a Tolkien biography should start with Carpenter’s official one, since he had access to the Tolkien family, papers, and letters.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Esty,

You may be surprised to learn that this book is around and widely available. There was a second copyright granted in 1978, and another in 1992, the year that I bought a hardback copy. Amazon is still selling paperback editions dated 2002. Used copies are available online for as little as $.15, which perhaps says something about the lack of demand for this volume.

Like you, I have reservations about this book. I also get the sense that the author may have added some material in the later editions that is even more critical of the author and the estate. (I don't have a 1976 copy so I can't tell for sure.) In places, the author's treatment of JRRT seems heavy handed. Let me set down a few quotes from the prologue:

Tolkien had a strong fear of being interrupted. The slightest unexpected intrusion upon or derivation from his prearranged daily schedule had an immediately detrimental effect upon his writing. And Tolkien was lazy. His total literary output over a period of more than five years was surprisingly small. Tolkien was a disorganized writer, an incorrigible procrastinator,a slow worker and one who created his own distractions....

Conversing with Tolkien was a demanding task because it was often very difficult to understand exactly what he was saying. He spoke in a soft, low-pitched, rapid voice, not bothering to enunciate or articulate clearly. Tolkien mumbled constantly, his speech often seemed garbled to even his most attentive listeners, and he unconsciously upset friends because they could never tell whether he was telling a joke or cursing under his breath......

He was also bad at telling jokes and stories because he invariably muffled the punch line (or never even got to it), swallowed his words, or laughed heartily in the middle.....

I don't doubt that some of these criticisms apply to Tolkien, but Grotta handles the material with little sympathy or finesse.

In a preface added in 1992, Grotta disparages Christopher Tolkien who "has now developed something of a cottage industry in editing and rewriting his father's fragments for publication." He also speaks disparagingly of Tolkien's "lack of domestic equilibrium" without further explanation. I read somewhere that those were the sections excised from the book. Hints of Grotta's feelings still remain. Edith is described as someone who was jealous of her husband's male friends and who used migrained headaches as an excuse for avoiding unwanted social contact; there are few positive comments to counterbalance these.

I can understand that the estate felt uncomfortable with this and did not grant the author access to Tolkien's personal papers. I do agree that the author does a good job explaining the socio-cultural background and that this is helpful for the American reader, but overall I can't recommend it.

~Child

[mark12_30]

I also read Grotta. A quick note: essentially, I concur with much that you've said, Esty and Child. The one thing that really does stand out in my mind is his Bombadil theory. Did that strike either of you? Has it been discussed elsewhere? Is it worth a new thread?

[Lalwendë]

I'm not much of a 'bumper' but I thought this thread was particularly worth bumping up, with letters to be written to Father Christmas and all. It's certainly given me one or two ideas. And maybe there are some new recommended works which 'Downers might be willing to write a little about.

[The Saucepan Man]

This isn't a review, but Mrs Saucepan came across a review of a book called The Science of Middle Earth by Henry Gee in the Fortean Times. I couldn't find that review, but here is another from Popular Science:

The Science of Middle Earth

It looks interesting, mainly because it addresses many of the topics that come up frequently here at the Downs. Apparently, it even has sections on Orcish reproduction and Balrog's wings.

I am thinking of ordering a copy. Has anyone else read it? If so, is it worth getting?

[Lalwendë]

I bought this at the weekend, and though I've not yet had chance to read it properly, I've skimmed through and it looked interesting. There was a chapter on exactly why Legolas could discern not only the Rohirrim at a distance but could make out details - this all seemed to be explained thoughtfully and even included equations (which made me think "I'll read that when I get home and am less tired" ).