Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 22, 1992 TAG: 9201220029
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LORI MOODY
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Long
TOLKIEN LIVES ON
In 1937, with national economies in collapse worldwide, Hitler gaining power and the world teetering on war, an Oxford University professor introduced a land of pure fantasy and heart that took hold.This year, fans of author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien - who gave the world hobbits, wizards, goblins and battles between good and evil - are celebrating, with renewed enthusiasm, the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Publishers have introduced new, lavishly illustrated books of his works, which continue to captivate devotees and lure new readers to tales from his fictional land of Middle-Earth.
Tolkien, who wrote about the adventures of hobbits Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, died in 1973.
"When you read the story, you are truly drawn into the story and become almost like a participant into what's happening," said Glen GoodKnight, founder of the Mythopoeic Society, a group devoted to the study of Tolkien and other fantasy and mythological literature.
"It's so convincing. Tolkien created an entire world that is consistent with itself. And it is so well-written. He's a superb master of the English language."
Tolkien's works first appeared in the turbulent 1930s. The professor of Anglo-Saxon literature and language at Oxford University introduced the modern world to "The Hobbit" in 1937. The book, a prelude to his "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, has sold 30 million to 50 million copies worldwide.
But it was not until the restless '60s that Tolkien's books became cult favorites on college campuses, where students were protesting the Vietnam War. In a time of social reform and civil unrest, Tolkien's writings provided a feeling of hope, said Paul Hyde, who has studied the author's use of language and has written several reference books related to Tolkien's work.
"I think it was a period of time when Americans needed something that clear cut, clearly defined: who was good and who was evil," said Hyde, director of the Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.
Tolkien's work was not above criticism. For instance, an early complaint was that his characters were two-dimensional. Hyde disagreed.
"Each speaking character is some aspect of the human heart, some aspect of the human mind that has been externalized," he said.
In 1954, "The Lord of the Rings" was published, followed by "Two Towers" and "The Return of the King," which make up the trilogy that Tolkien initially intended to be one book. "The Lord of the Rings" has sold more than 15 million copies and has been translated into 26 languages since the first volume.
Tolkien, an expert in medieval languages and literature, also wrote "The Silmarillion," a novel about the history of Middle-Earth before the hobbits.
The book was started in 1917 but Tolkien died before completing it. His son, Christopher, one of four children, finished the book and it was published in 1977.
"Tolkien is considered the grandfather of the modern fantasy phenomena," said GoodKnight. "Go into the science-fiction section [of a bookstore] and half are fantasy."
To celebrate the centenary of Tolkien's Jan. 3 birth, Houghton Mifflin Co. decided to publish four new volumes to the delight of his fans. The company published the American edition of "The Hobbit" 54 years ago.
Introduced in November were: a new edition of "The Lord of the Rings" ($60), with illustrations by English artist Alan Lee; the "The Father Christmas Letters" (paperback, $10.95) featuring letters written by Tolkien to his children in the 1920s and 1930s; and "The Atlas of Middle-Earth" (paperback, $15.95) by Karen Wynn Fonstad, which includes information from research by Christopher Tolkien and new maps.
This month Houghton Mifflin brought out "A Tolkien Family Album" ($29.95), by Tolkien's children, John and Priscilla. The book is a collection of family reminiscences and photographs, most of them never before published.
The 25-year-old Mythopoeic Society, which has members across the world, will honor Tolkien's birth at its annual conference to be held this year in August at Keble College in Oxford, England.
The seven-day event will include speakers, dramatic and musical presentations and tours of places associated with Tolkien's life. Members of the writer's family also are expected to attend.
"This will be the biggest thing that ever happened," GoodKnight said. "I don't think it will ever be repeated. People are coming from many countries around the world to participate."
On Jan. 3, GoodKnight got together with friends to read aloud passages from "The Lord of the Rings" to commemorate the author's birthday.
"I think Tolkien fans have a reputation as foaming-at-the-mouth fanatics," GoodKnight said. "Really, the majority of our members are college graduates, adults, doing all kinds of things. We started out as a young people's organization."
Some academics thought that Tolkien's books were an embarrassment because he wrote fantasy, counter to the cautious and conservative image of English university professors, and he wrote children's literature, which "The Hobbit" was considered when first published.
"College professors tended to poo poo it and didn't consider it serious literature," GoodKnight said. "Today it is considered serious literature. There are courses in fantasy now."