Chapter Six - Tolkien by Michael White

Welcome back! I hope you had a splendid Christmastime and may I also wish you a very happy year ahead for 2020?!

 I have been wallowing deeply in Christmas since at least early December and it is now high time I clawed my way back to reality. Actually, that sounds like a step too far. It’s OK if I just lose myself in books again, right? 

In my last 'chapter' of the Never-ending Book Story, I was quite happily lost in the parallel universe of Iain Pears' Arcadia. If you recall, the novel featured a cameo appearance from J.R.R. Tolkien. Our journey continues, then, with a chance to delve deeper into the world of Tolkien because I've been reading Tolkien - A Biography by Michael White.

Here's the blurb:

There are few writers who can claim the popularity and enduring appeal of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. His celebrated novels have sold in excess of 160 million copies, and are in large part responsible for seeding the entire genre of fantasy fiction. It was while marking a series of exam papers that Tolkien found a blank page in a candidate's answer-book. Doodling in the space, he suddenly found himself writing 'In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit.' Tolkien decided to find out all about Hobbits - a search that set in motion the epic works for which we know him today. Tolkien: A Biography looks back over the life of this treasured writer. In absorbing detail, it chronicles his childhood years and the tragic early death of his parents; his burgeoning romance with Edith Bratt; his many years as an Oxford academic; his friendship with C.S. Lewis and the founding of the Inklings group.

This biography of the revered author was penned by Michael White. Interesting fact alert - White was once a member of 80s hit-makers The Thompson Twins. It was published in the lead up to the release of the film of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring so it, sadly, doesn't give much of an insight into the development and production of the hugely successful film trilogy or, indeed, the trilogy of films based on The Hobbit which followed. But I suppose I should really be looking for books about Peter Jackson and his films for more information on that side of the story. I picked this book up some time ago in a charity shop and never got around to reading it. I'm glad I was able to finally give it a read. I enjoyed it immensely.

I loved The Hobbit as a boy. My teacher in primary school - Mrs Posting-Share (her name sounds like a character straight out of Middle Earth) read it to the class chapter by chapter at the end of each school day. I fondly remember being so excited, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, eagerly awaiting the next instalment. I read it again a couple of times as a teenager and I am desperate to read it to my son when he is old enough. Maybe in the next year or so. 

I was daunted by The Lord of the Rings and didn't read it until I was in my late teens. I've since read it again (I think when the films came out I felt the need to revisit the novel). I had always been flabbergasted by both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. How on earth did Tolkien create such a complete and vividly real world? I've often wanted to find out a bit more about the man behind this wonderful set of books. This biography is not what you'd call in-depth. However, for me, it gave just the right amount of detail. I'm not obsessed with needing to know every detail of his life and works. But I did want to understand more about him and maybe learn something that would help me, or inspire me with my own writing.

Much has been made of the allegorical nature of the novels and the impact Tolkien's experiences during the First World War had on the genesis of Middle Earth. This is covered nicely in the book. Tolkien, it would seem, always denied that there were deliberate parallels between the state of the world at the time and the events described in his novels. When you stop to consider the things he experienced during his life and, in particular, the absolute horrors of the First World War, it is difficult to imagine these things not playing a part in what he created - subconsciously or otherwise.

I found the reading groups he enjoyed instigating endearing to learn more about. I guess they were an early form of book club! One of his groups was called the Coalbiters. It was intended to bring together people interested in reading traditional Icelandic folk stories. The name Coalbiters comes from the Icelandic word Kolbiter which, when translated, means 'those who in winter get so close to the fire they bite the coal'. Brilliant! I am definitely a Kolbiter! There's no better way of spending time than sitting next to a roaring fire with a fabulous book and a large glass of Malbec. I can just picture Tolkien and his friends all around the open fire in the back room of a pub, the air around them full of the fug of pipe smoke. I wish I could have been there!

A very touching aspect of Tolkien's life was his love for his wife, Edith. They were very young when they met. She was 19 to his 16.  Despite wanting to be together, Tolkien's guardian viewed her as a distraction and wanted him to concentrate on his education rather than on his love life. He was eventually forbidden from seeing her until he turned 21. He never stopped thinking about her and when he eventually reached the age of 21, he wrote to her expressing his love. She wrote back to say she was engaged. He rushed to visit her and, that same day, she gave back her engagement ring and became engaged to Tolkien instead. They married in 1916 and stayed together until Edith's death in 1971. What a romantic tale. Worthy of a book itself!

I'd really recommend reading this if you're at all interested in the life of this amazing author. It's certainly opened my eyes and made me want to learn more about other authors who inspire me. Which authors inspire you? Let me know in the comments section below.

That's all for now. I'll be back with the next chapter of the never-ending book story very soon. Given that Tolkien is so famously connected to Oxford, and because I am literally so desperate to read it, the next stop on the journey will be The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman. This is, as if you didn't know, the second instalment in The Book of Dust trilogy which follows on from His Dark Materials. Lyra is grown-up and living back in 'her' Oxford. What adventures await???

Before then, there'll be another of my little detours and in this one I'll be checking out some of the exciting books coming our way in 2020. 

To finish, here's a little video of Thompson Twins performing a cover of The Beatles' Revolution at Live Aid at the height of their career with a little help from Nile Rogers on guitar and a very famous backing singer! Enjoy!