Tolkien and the Great War
2003 biography of author J. R. R. Tolkien / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth is a 2003 biography by John Garth of the philologist and fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien's early life, focusing on his formative military experiences during the First World War.
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Author | John Garth |
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Language | English |
Subject | J. R. R. Tolkien |
Genre | Biography |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 2003 |
Publication place | United Kingdom |
ISBN | 978-0007119530 |
OCLC | 960643274 |
The book was warmly welcomed by Tolkien scholars as filling in an important gap in biographical coverage. Christian scholars too admired the book, though Ralph C. Wood thought that it underplayed the importance of Tolkien's Christianity. A reviewer for the Western Front Association thought the account of Tolkien's military service especially good. The book was called "plodding" by Tolkien's biographer, Humphrey Carpenter, but praised by other commentators.
The book won the 2004 Mythopoeic Award for Inklings Studies. It has prompted scholars to examine the influence of the war on Tolkien's writings.