This past month has been quite tumultuous for Tolkien fans with the release of the first trailer for Rings of Power. People have opinions...strong ones. But I already addressed that a couple of weeks ago. But it was nice to dive into Tolkien's March letters to read about his opinions.
He is fiercely dedicated to his friends. In a letter from 1938, he writes to Stanley Unwin, his publisher about C.S. Lewis' recent work. He praises his friend and says that his one criticism is that it is too short but he disagreed with the reader's more negative opinions of it.
Again in 1945, Tolkien writes to his publisher stating that he is working on his short stories but he would much rather be working on The Silmarillion. It has always been his true desire to publish it. And mentions later in 1950 that he does not want to split all of his books up into separate volumes. He would have preferred to publish his works in a single volume.
But there is one letter that brought me so much joy because Tolkien himself was also filled with joy. He received a letter from someone he did not expect...
"You can imagine my astonishment when I saw your signiture. I can only say, for your comfort I hope, that the 'Sam Gamgee' of my story is a most heroic character, now widely beloved by many readers, even though his origins are rustic.."
Letter To Sam Gamgee on March 13th, 1956
He received a letter from a man whose name was Sam Gamgee and asked about how Tolkien came up with the name. Could you imagine getting that response in the mail?! I hope the family of Sam Gamgee has kept it and cherished it because it is a piece of literary history. Tolkien was so excited that he wrote to his son about this correspondence.
"I have had a letter from a real Sam Gamgee, from Tooting! He could not have chosen a more Hobbit-sounding place, could he? --Though un-Shirelike, I fear, in reality."
From J.R.R. Tolkien to Christopher Tolkien, March 1956
Reading these letters brought joy. And after my disappointment in the Tolkien community these past couple of weeks, it was very much needed!
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