What Awards has Tolkien won? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

**The Saucepan Man** · 01-24-2005, 12:51 PM

Book awards are a relatively recent phenomenon and tend to be awarded to recently published works. I doubt that there were many, if any, awards of the type that proliferate today around when LotR was first published. That, no doubt, is the reason for it not having been the recipient of any such awards (if indeed that is the case).

It has, however, consistently topped popularity polls in many different countries and over a period of many years (going back at least to the 1960s). The most recent in the UK was the Big Read, conducted by the BBC a year or two ago, when it beat a multitude of books that the po-faced literati might (and indeed did) regard as more "serious" contenders for the title. Their ridicule throughout the "competition" had little, if any, effect on the views of the book-reading public.

LotR's enduring appeal in this regard suggests that there is much more at stake here than the fickle finger of fashion. Will the Harry Potter books be topping popularity polls in 30 to 40 years' time?

01-24-2005, 12:51 PM	#5
The Saucepan Man Corpus Cacophonous Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: A green and pleasant land Posts: 8,390	Book awards are a relatively recent phenomenon and tend to be awarded to recently published works. I doubt that there were many, if any, awards of the type that proliferate today around when LotR was first published. That, no doubt, is the reason for it not having been the recipient of any such awards (if indeed that is the case). It has, however, consistently topped popularity polls in many different countries and over a period of many years (going back at least to the 1960s). The most recent in the UK was the Big Read, conducted by the BBC a year or two ago, when it beat a multitude of books that the po-faced literati might (and indeed did) regard as more "serious" contenders for the title. Their ridicule throughout the "competition" had little, if any, effect on the views of the book-reading public. LotR's enduring appeal in this regard suggests that there is much more at stake here than the fickle finger of fashion. Will the Harry Potter books be topping popularity polls in 30 to 40 years' time? __________________ Do you mind? I'm busy doing the fishstick. It's a very delicate state of mind!