Ten Favorite Books

To Kill a Mockingbird. There’s only one kind of folks: folks. To truly understand someone, you must put yourself in their situation.

• I will open my eyes.

Peter Pan. It is children’s freedom and their belief in the impossible that allows them to fly.

• I will remember what it was like to fly.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Trees can grow up out of cement. Life blooms even in the darkest places.

• I will hope always.

Heckedy-Peg. Never let a witch into your house or she will kidnap you and turn you into egg-pudding.

• I will listen to my mother and beware of cloaked strangers.

Jane Eyre. If you must, pass up every happiness life offers in order to stay true to yourself, and never settle.

• I will hold to my convictions.

Winnie-the-Pooh. We’re all silly and foolish sometimes, but to love and be loved-- that is a wonderful life.

• I will laugh at myself.

Harry Potter. Bravery is just a fancy word for having guts.

• I will be brave and passionate.

A Christmas Carol. Money cannot protect you from suffering; it can only chain you down to a miserable, lonely life.

• I will give freely.

The Tale of Despereaux. Don’t complain about your ears, no matter how large they are; you will need them.

• I will use my head.

Till We Have Faces. The fruits of the King are seen in the land; the King’s power can as easily corrupt as it can save.

• I will lead mindfully.

Who Are You?

Who are you? This familiar question asked by the caterpillar of Wonderland is one that is appropriate to the adventures of the man who wrote the famous classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a man who is far less known than the tale he created, though just as intriguing. Although he is most widely known as the writer, Lewis Carroll, this man, born Charles Dodgson, was also a mathematician, inventor, and teacher. Avidly creating and inventing since he was young, Charles’ early works show his prowess in clever rhymes, interesting riddles, and crazy new words such as “chortle”—a blend of “chuckle” and “snort.” Enjoying the company of children, Charles befriended three young sisters, which would lead to the writing of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

On January 27, 1832, in a small parsonage of Daresbury in Cheshire, Charles Dodgson, the man today known as Lewis Carroll, breathed his first breath. The third of eleven children, Charles was taught at home until he was eleven and enjoyed a happy, peaceful childhood with his family, although he was always very shy because of a stammer with which he was born. Charles loved to create from the very beginning. When he was thirteen, he wrote a poem called “The Fairy.”

The Fairy

I have a fairy by my side

Which says I must not sleep.

When once in pain I loudly cried
It said “You must not weep.”

If, full of mirth, I smile and grin

It says “You must not laugh;”

When once I wished to drink some gin

It said “You must not quaff.”

When once a meal I wished to taste

It said “You must not bite”;

When to the wars I went with haste

It said “You must not fight.”

“What may I do?” at length I cried,

Tired of the painful task.

The fairy quietly replied,

And said “You must not ask.

Naturally quick-witted and clever, Charles’ talent for humor paired seamlessly with logic is evident even in his first works.

It was while Charles was teaching at Christ College that he met the little girl who would spark the ideas for the story that he would one day become famous for--Alice in Wonderland. Because of his stammer, Charles was often shy among adults and preferred the company of children. Some of his closest friends were three young girls— Edith, Alice, and Ina Liddell, who were the daughters of the dean of Christ College, where Charles lectured math for many years. Whether they rowing on the pond, or Charles was telling the children a fantastical tale, or photographing the children, they always had a wonderful time. The children adored him. Peacefully rowing one golden afternoon with his good friend Robinson Duckworth and the Liddell sisters, Charles told them an enchanting story in which the main character’s name was Alice. Delighted by the story, Alice Liddell begged him to write it down. When she was older, Alice recalled that it must have been even better than usual, for Charles had made up many stories for them before, but it had never been enthralling so much as to spur a proposal for him to write it down. Alice pleaded. She begged. Charles finally agreed. Charles would write the tale for his little friend, Alice Liddell, Alice’s Adventures Underground.

Even after he began writing the Alice story down, never did Charles suspect that Alice’s Adventures Underground would be published. Hardly a year and a half later, he presented the hand-written green leather-bound book to Alice as a Christmas present, with a note inside reading, “A Christmas gift to a dear child in memory of a summer day.” After showing the book to the fairytale writer, George McDonald and his family, who were good friends of Charles’ they encouraged him strongly to publish “Alice’s Adventures Underground.” They soon persuaded Charles. Searching fervently for an illustrator, Charles decided that John Tenniel, the well-known cartoon artist, was the best fit. It was exactly three years to the day of the golden afternoon when Charles had told the tale to Alice and her sisters, that the book was published, although Charles had nearly doubled its length, added all of John’s Tenniel’s drawings, and changed the title to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

From this short tale, told on a child’s whim, was born a story known around the world, published in in over fifty languages, illustrated by over two-hundred artists, and adapted into two major motion pictures. Clearly seen in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are many aspects of Charles Dodgson, his childhood, his love and exceptional talent for inventing and storytelling, his teaching in math, and-- most importantly, his special fondness for children. It is always an adventure when people can read a work and see much of the writer inside the pages. So Charles Dodgson, who are you?

The Journey Through Hell

Often recognized as one of the greatest poets ever, Dante Alighieri was born in Florence In 1265. In his younger years Dante studied at home and at age 12 was betrothed to Gemma di Manetto Donati. Much of Dante’s early adult years were spent in politics, and he was also part of Guelph-Ghibelline conflict, and fought in the battle of Campaldino. This ultimately ended in his exile, at which time he wrote The Divine Comedy, which is a three part poem: Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. After writing The Divine Comedy, he died on September 14, 1321. Part one of the Divine Comedy, The Inferno, which is the most popular of the three, describes a pilgrim’s journey through hell, guided by the poet Virgil. In The Inferno, Dante uses a certain formula for the journey through the circles of hell. First each circle’s punishment parallels the sin committed. Second, as he journeys further into hell, the sins are represented as becoming more repulsive. And third, the further he journeys into hell, the less activity he finds.

In The Inferno, each sinner has a punishment that reflects his sin on earth. Expressing this point in Canto seven, Dante places the slothful under the mucky swamp where they are stuck for eternity, inhaling the mud and water, never being able to move because of their laziness on earth. Another example of this is the circle of the soothsayers, where Dante says, “And when my gaze moved down below their faces, I saw all were incredibly distorted, the chin was not above the chest, the neck was twisted--their faces looked down their backs; they had to move ahead by moving backward, for they never saw what was ahead of them” (Canto 20, Lines 10-15). Their faces were twisted around because they always tried to see and predict the future, and now they don’t even get to see what’s in front of them presently. One last example is Canto twenty-three, which contains the hypocrites, who are laden with such heavy garments they can barely walk. They wear these because they were so burdened with their lies on earth. By giving them exactly what they want, Dante has punished them by giving them such an excess of the sin that it shows how perverted it really is.

As the journey goes deeper into hell, Dante’s opinion about what sins are deserving of more punishment is shown. For example, the first group of sinners who are neither accepted by God or by hell are forced to run forever outside the gates of hell. Whereas, about halfway down are the suicides who are encased in trees and can only talk if a limb is broken and their blood spills out. Because they did not cherish their life on earth, they have no life in hell. The last circle of hell holds the traitors, which is interesting because of Dante’s political views and his war against the traitors to his country, which was the reason for his exile. Horribly tortured in ice are the traitors to their country, and finally Lucifer, the ultimate traitor and the king of hell, is found chewing on the worst sinners: Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Obviously Dante had a certain contempt for traitors, which was probably due to his exile; his hell seems to be influenced by his personal experiences.

One interesting literary contrast is the difference between the first and last circles of hell. In the first circle of hell, Dante observes the indecisive sinners, who chose neither God nor Lucifer, running away from responsibility of choice. In hell they spend their time endlessly being chased by bees, literally having to run. Whereas, those who chose to directly oppose God, like Lucifer and Judas, are stuck, immobilized, and in Judas’s case being eaten eternally. Dante seems to find it worse to be trapped in one place, because as he travels deeper into hell the tortures become more immobile; for example traitors who are in the bottom of hell are frozen in ice.

Reading The Inferno reveals much of Dante’s thoughts on which sins should have a worse punishment, like the deepest circle of the traitors. He also hints that immobility is a more terrible thing than being tormented yet still having strength. In the end of The Inferno, Dante and his guide, Virgil, have gone through all hell literally and finally have to crawl down the leg of Satan to arrive in purgatory and continue their journey to heaven.

A Journey Through Hell

The Divine Comedy was written between 1308 and 1321, by Dante Alighieri. Originally in Italian, The Divine Comedy continues to be translated regularly. In Dante’s culture, when the vast majority of literature consisted of stuffy lovey-dovey poetry, Dante’s poems were a huge step forward. It was written in every day plain Italian for the everyday normal Joe, but it was about Hell. This was not what Florence was used to. Lasting 700 years, Dante’s story is gritty, graphic, violent, engaging, exciting, and deeply moving. It deals with matters of the human condition and is still completely relevant today.

Dante’s Divine Comedy has lasted for centuries because he knew how to tell a good story, and a good story is the best vehicle for ideas to travel from the page to the mind to the soul. What rings true in one heart and mind will ring true in hearts and minds around the world. Dante rings true. How do we explain the ways in which men sin and are reconciled again to God? We do this by telling stories. Another familiar word is parable. In Dante’s parable he tells of a man—himself— going through Hell so he can eventually reach heaven. He presents his story as a journey. Perhaps he wrote it this way because there is a universal theme that every person experiences in life, which is that good can come from bad situations. Through trials we grow stronger. Life comes from Death. In the play The Fantasticks, the narrator, El Gallo, says, “There is a curious paradox that no one can explain. Who understands the secret of the reaping of the grain? Who understands why spring is born out of winter’s laboring pain? Or why we must all die a bit before we can live again? I do not know the answer. I merely know it’s true.” Since The Divine Comedy is a journey, it must begin with the storms and hardships of Hell, so that the pilgrim can reach the harvest of heaven’s glory.

One unique device that the poet Dante uses in The Divine Comedy is to place himself in the story, making us feel as if it might have really happened. He makes himself the pilgrim on the journey—the one who experiences Hell. And we, in a sense, experience it with him. While traveling through the circles of Hell, observing the various realms of sinners, including the liars, the thieves, the lustful, the wrathful, and the hypocrites, it can be tempting to comfort ourselves with how evil those people are and feel proud that we don’t struggle with those sins, but it’s difficult not to see glimpses (sometimes more than glimpses) of ourselves in all of the sinners. But in contrast Dante also doesn’t let us forget that they are evil nasty sinners, and he is rebuked several times for pitying them. But sin is not to be pitied because as soon as we start making excuses for the sins of those condemned by God, we start making excuses for our own sin. Pitying those that God has chosen to condemn, we question God’s justice. This is what Dante does not let us do. We must hate sin. Because we are on the journey with Dante, seeing Hell through his eyes, we are also rebuked with him for pitying sin. Just like Dante, we must turn our own condemning finger on ourselves. Oh, me, condemned sinner. In his art, Dante helps us to see ourselves for who we are—sinners. Thankfully, he didn’t stop with the Inferno. This is a journey, and our destination is paradise.

As we travel through Hell it is curious and often surprising to discover who Dante the poet placed in Hell. A large percentage of the sinners in Hell are Catholic popes, who are mostly in the lowest realms of Hell. It’s ironic and a bit unsettling that those who are regarded as holy and good and who are supposedly God’s chosen leaders on earth are those we discover to be deep in Hell. As might be less surprising, we also meet many of Dante’s enemies in hell. There are those who hold the opinion that this is Dante’s spiteful revenge towards them, but another fact suggests otherwise. Dante also puts his friends in hell. A prime concept in The Inferno is that “good decent” people are in Hell right along with “nasty evil” people. In Dante’s story there are hundreds of popes in Hell, yet we know there are thieves in heaven. What’s the difference? Redeemed thieves. We don’t get to heaven by being nice respected people, but by being saved by grace. If the pilgrim Dante hadn’t “woke to find himself in a dark wood,” he also would be keeping company with these condemned in Hell eternally. The reason the pilgrim Dante is making the journey through Hell is so that he may be redeemed.

Great stories always last, because they are about who we are as human beings. Putting a mirror up to nature, they ask us to take a look at the world and at ourselves. They teach us what to love and what to hate. Not to love good people and hate bad people, because there is no such thing. There are only redeemed people and those who are not. When you find yourself in a dark wood, know that you have a journey through Hell ahead of you, so that you can reach paradise.

The Doubleness of Man

Dr. Jekyll is a large, middle-aged, well-to-do man who possesses enumerable titles to his name and is high up in society. Although Dr Jekyll is a gentleman, who is kind and polite, some of his old friends disapprove of what they call his “scientific heresies.” “Too fanciful; he began to go wrong, wrong in the mind,” reflects an old comrade, Mr. Lanyon. Ambitiously Dr. Jekyll works on his scientific concoction until he finally finishes it and decides to try it. He drinks it. Transformed into another being, whom he calls Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll can do whatever he likes when he’s in the other form, which he can change into at any time he likes. During his excursions as Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll gives into all his sinful desires and enjoys doing evil without having to worry about his reputation. After awhile of this routine, though, Dr Jekyll begins to become a slave to his sin and can no longer control when he changes into Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll, who was of the best stature in society, eventually can no longer overcome his sin and is a slave to worse self, Mr. Hyde.

Mr. Hyde is Dr. Jekyll’s double worse self. He is pure evil. Detestably pale and dwarfish, deformed somewhere, hardly human, and an extraordinary man is how he’s described him and fear him. “Particularly small, and particularly wicked looking,” says one onlooker. Murdering a well-known man and treacherously trampling a girl who was walking on the street, Mr. Hyde displays ruthless violent behavior. Inside and outside Mr. Hyde is a disagreeable and horrible person. Mr. Hyde is very powerful, and he overpowers and destroys Dr. Jekyll’s good nature.

Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde who actually rejected the God of the Bible, had a similar view to the biblical world view. Although it is not clearly stated that man is made in the image to God, the book does say that Dr. Jekyll lost hold of his better original self. Concerning the view that man is fallen it is clear that he believed man has a sinful nature and must battle against it or he will become a slave to sin. Interestingly, the view that we cannot be our own representative is portrayed, although Robert Louis Stevenson didn’t believe in God. Comparing himself pridefully to all of his neighbors and justifying himself on a standard lower than God is when Dr. Jekyll’s final mistake happens, and he turns into Mr. Hyde permanently. Robert Louis Stevenson did not believe in God or the Bible, but the world view displayed in his writing is very close to the biblical world view.

Creating us in his image, God purposefully made us significant and this is the biblical world view. Within each person there is a spirit which is which allows us to live after death according to the Bible. God made man he gave man free will to choose make choices. Man has a sinful nature. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:3). Because of our choice to sin, men are now slaves to their sinful natures without God. Thankfully, we have Christ as our perfect representative so that we can be saved and fight against our sinful natures. Although Robert Louis Stevenson is not a Christian, he displays a world view undeniably close to the biblical world view. This book is a fantastic intriguing story about the true doubleness of human nature.

The Message of Frankenstein

A monster, formed from bodies of the deceased, with black thick hair, pure white teeth, and yellow waxy skin, is alive, alone, and friendless in the world. Written by Mary Shelly, who was only seventeen at the time, Frankenstein is set in the seventeen hundreds, which was a period of intense discovery, and the main characters are an ambitious young scientist, the monster he creates, and his family living in a country called Geneva. Secretly devising his plans and obsessively working to create the monster, Dr. Frankenstein represents Mary Shelly’s view of God. In the story, the monster represents man. If we look carefully we will be able to determine Mary Shelly’s view of nature.

The biblical world view of God is that he is loving and immanent. In Frankenstein, the character that represents God is Dr. Frankenstein who created the monster. Although Dr. Frankenstein is the creator of the monster, just as God is the creator of humans, there are significant differences. Immediately after Dr. Frankenstein creates the monster he is so distraught at the hideous appearance of the monster that he runs away from it. In the Bible God says, “Never will I leave you never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5. Dr. Frankenstein is far from immanent. Loathing his creation, Dr. Frankenstein passionately desires to destroy it. Whereas our God calls us his beloved children, Dr. Frankenstein calls his creation “miserable wretch” and “demonical corpse.” Completely void of any love for his creation, Dr. Frankenstein doesn’t even compare to our God, who loves us more that we can imagine. This unloving, insensitive, man who runs away from his creation does not follow the biblical view of God.

The biblical world view is that man is made in the image of God and man has free choice. The monster represents man. Hideous and unnatural looking, the monster isn’t human. “A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as the wretch,” says Dr. Frankenstein. When Dr. Frankenstein made the monster, he didn’t make it in his image. In the story, the monster has free will, but sin is not pictured to be the result of his choice. Eventually the monster, who is pictured to be relatively innocent and good- natured in the beginning, felt so rejected and alone that he turned into a violent and horrible being. Therefore, it was others that made him into the villain that he became and it wasn’t his choice. If we examine the view of man pictured in Frankenstein, we will see that is doesn’t follow that biblical word view.

Subtly scattered throughout the book, Mary Shelley’s view of nature (the physical world) is a different one than the biblical world view. In the Bible it clearly says that we humans are God’s most prized creation, his very best. Elevated to a place which is higher than humans, nature is like its own being, affecting the characters and causing them to feel certain emotions. Phrases such as “Nature gives sublimity of thought and peace” are used. Nature takes on a dominant role of comforting the characters and being the thing that gives peace and tranquility.

In Frankenstein, Dr. Victor Frankenstein incorrectly represents God. The monster dysfunctionally represents man. Nature takes on an important role in the book since nature is elevated to at throne higher than humans and sometimes as high as God. When reading Frankenstein the most important thing to remember is that although Frankenstein has been passed down as a “great American story” and has been made into horror movies that are fun to watch, the original book Frankenstein has messages that are being displayed by the author that do not follow the biblical world view such as God portrayed as unloving and insensitive and that man is only a product of his environment.

The Nature of Frankenstein

Mary Shelly, the author of Frankenstein, reveals a lot about her world view in this book. Her world view is very different than the biblical world view. Examining this closely, readers find differences between the God of the Bible and the God of this book, the nature of man, and the view of the natural world.

Representing God in the book Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein has a secret: the secret of creating life. As he uses that secret to make a monster, he does not seem to care about what will happen when it comes to life, which is foolish. Completely obsessed, Dr. Frankenstein gives life to the monster and is so terrified he runs away from his own creation. Differing from the God of the Christian world view, Frankenstein, the God of the monster, runs away from his creation and hates it, seeking to destroy it; whereas the Bible says God is loving and kind to his creation and wants to have a relationship with them. In the book Frankenstein, Mary Shelly, the author, portrays God to be weak and hopeless, which does not match the world view of the Bible.

When he was first created, the monster, who represents man, was innocent and wanted to learn and to be loved. The monster realizes later that he will never be loved, and he becomes malicious and starts killing Frankenstein’s friends and family, while proclaiming that it wasn’t his fault, but that it was his surroundings that made him who he is. Showing in this book what she thinks of the nature of man, Mary Shelly indicates that she believes it’s not people’s fault that they are evil, but rather, their environment is the cause of their evil actions. But the Bible says that man is responsible for his actions.

Calling nature the “all powerful,” Frankenstein reveals his view that nature is like a god. In grief, Frankenstein goes to nature for comfort, whereas the Bible says that humans should take care of nature, but it is God who made nature. Apparently, Mary Shelly believes that nature is nature with a capital N, like a god.

Weak and wretched is how God is pictured by Mary Shelly, and it does not follow the Christian world view at all. Also not following the Bible is that man does not have choice. The view of nature in this book says that there is nothing more powerful, which is not true to the Bible.

Jack's Imagination and the World of Narnia

Who was the first to enter Narnia? Some might say Lucy or some might say Polly and Diggory, but the first to enter Narnia was C.S. Leiws. Born in 1898, C.S. grew up in Ireland. As a child, Lewis already had an exceedingly extraordinary imagination. Probably the books that he’s most famous for writing, The Chronicles of Narnia, soared to the top book sales in the 1950’s. When C.S. Lewis was an older man, he fell in love with Joy Gresham, who was also a writer.

In 1898 on November 29 the writer, Clives Staples Lewis was born on outskirts of Belfast, Ireland. His family consisted of his father, Alfred Lewis, his mother, Flora Hamilton Lewis, and his older brother, Warren Lewis. Assuredly deciding, when he was four that his name didn’t suit him, Clives changed his name to Jack. Growing up, Jack was always incredibly close to his older brother, although his brother was three years older than him. They were best friends. When Jack was young he didn’t go to school but was taught at home by a tutor until he was nine years old. Unlike most young boys, they enjoyed using their exceedingly grand imaginations to write stories and draw pictures to accompany them. They created their own medieval world called animal land. Using these characters, Jack also wrote a three act play. As a young Irish boy, Jack was a unique and passionate writer already.

Imagining a snowy wood, Jack pictured a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels. Suddenly appearing to Jack, this image would form into the brilliant story known as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When Jack wrote The Chronicles of Narnia he said that if no one else would write the sort of books he wanted to read, then he would write them himself. In 1950 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was published. Immediately, the book soared to the top sales along side The Lord of the Rings, which was written by his friend J.R.R. Tolkien. After writing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Jack went on to write the other books which are The Horse and his Boy, Prince Caspian, The Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Last Battle, and The Magician’s Nephew, which completed the series. It took him years to write all seven books. Children especially loved Jack’s books, and he received many letters from children about them. He always replied. Welcoming thousands to Narnia, the faun is the first character readers meet in Narnia when they open the book and escape there.

Jack met Joy Gresham, who was an intelligent and witty woman and also a writer, when she asked him to lunch after corresponding about Jack’s books in 1950. Finding her to be engaging, Jack invited Joy and her two sons, David and Douglas, to come stay at the Kilns for Christmas. Unfortunately, Joy’s marriage was wavering, and her husband was demanding a divorce, so Joy took her boys to live in London shortly after Christmas. When Joy, David, and Douglas moved to London, Joy struggled financially. Jack helped fill this need. Throughout this time Jack and Joy maintained a strong friendship until 1956 when the government refused to renew Joy’s permit to live in England unless she married a British citizen. Jack married her so she could stay but they regarded the marriage as a practical arrangement. Falling ill to cancer, Joy was extremely weak and had to fight hard for her life. When Jack heard this, he revealed his feelings for her and insisted on a real Christian wedding. This took place in 1957. Steadily Joy began to recover and the next years were “filled with Joy” and Jack was completely in love. Before long, her cancer returned and Joy’s health quickly deteriorated. On July 13, 1960 Joy passed away with Jack at her side. Joy’s son, Douglas Gresham, wrote later, “There were never two people alive in the history of the world who were more in love than Jack and Joy.” Belonging together, these two writers, Jack and Joy, Connected spiritually and shared many loves.

Creating Narnia as a middle aged man, C.S. Lewis was still a child at heart. If there was ever a child with an excessively wild imagination, it was Jack, who used it to write stories of other worlds. Jack loved to create magical worlds. After years of friendship with Joy Gresham , he married her 1957. The most significant thing about Jack was that knew how to use his imagination and he shared it with people through his stories.

Tolkien's Magic

Since he was born, J.R.R. Tolkien had a hard childhood where many terrible things happened. Living at Oxford University years later ultimately led to his friendship with C.S. Lewis. Unexpectedly bright, J.R.R. Tolkien started his life’s work, The Lord of the Rings. When Tolkien died, his books sold quicker than he could have imagined.

On January 3, 1892, a sickly baby named John Ronald Ruel Tolkien was born to Arthur and Mabel Tolkien. Growing up to be a small, pale child, Tolkien loved stories about dragons. Arthur Tolkien died of acute peritonitis in February of 1896 and young Tolkien’s mother followed in 1904, dying from diabetes. Before his mother died, Tolkien was enrolled at King Edwards School. Quickly finding a love for poetry there, he began to write at once. Also, while he was there he studied languages.

In 1926 J.R.R. Tolkien met C.S Lewis at Oxford University. Becoming friends, they both were mesmerized by Norse mythology, and they would spend many nights staying up terribly late. While they were close friends, they were both great writers. However, J.R.R. Tolkien could not stand his friend Lewis’s books simply because of the non-subtlety of the allegory and symbols.

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Starting with these words, Tolkien brilliantly wrote The Hobbit. Happily, Tolkien wrote in a letter that in many ways he was much like a hobbit: “I am in fact a hobbit in all but size. I like gardens, trees, and unnmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and I like good plain food, but detest French cooking; I like and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field), I have a very simple sense of humor (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome), I go to bed late and get up late (whenever possible). I do not travel much.” The Hobbit, which was published on September 21 of 1937, was such a big hit that it sold out by Christmas! While the book The Hobbit was still new, Tolkien decided to write a sequel. J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy, The Lord of the Rings followed many years later on October 20, 1955. J.R.R. Tolkien was later nominated Author of the Century

Although he had a rough childhood, J.R.R. Tolkien loved fairytales, which became his reason for writing myths and legends. C.S. Lewis also shared the love for stories with magic, and they were close friends because of it. Writing the brilliant trilogy The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien became famous. Author of the Century, Tolkien’s legends still survive today.