J. R. R. Tolkien

A Biography

By: Humphrey Carpenter

Narrated by: Roger May

The original authorised biography, and the only one written by an author who actually met J. R. R. Tolkien.

In the 25 years since Tolkien’s death in September 1973, millions have read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and become fascinated about the very private man behind the books.

Born in Bloemfontein in January 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was orphaned in childhood, brought up in near poverty and almost thwarted in adolescent romance. He served in the First World War, surviving the Battle of the Somme, where he lost some of his closest friends, and returned to academic life, achieving high repute as a scholar and university teacher, eventually becoming Merton Professor of English at Oxford.

Then suddenly his life changed dramatically. One day while marking essay papers he found himself writing 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit' - and worldwide renown awaited him.

Humphrey Carpenter was given unrestricted access to all Tolkien’s papers and interviewed his friends and family. From these sources he follows the long and painful process of creation that produced The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and offers a wealth of information about the life and work of the 20th century's most cherished author.

©2018 Humphrey Carpenter (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"One of the most interesting and readable biographies of a literary figure." (The Times)

"The story is rich and beautifully told." (Sunday Times)

"Absolutely fascinating." (Daily Mail)

Highly informative

As a lifelong fan of JRR Tolkien, an author to whom I owe an immense debt for inspiration, it's kinda scandalous that I've not delved into his history up until quite recently. The 2019 biopic can, in my opinion, only loosely nod at Tolkien's earlier years and does not in the least do any justice to the man and his immense literary output. When I encountered JRR Tolkien – A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter on Audible, I popped it onto my wishlist and eventually got around to giving it a listen.

Narrator Roger May does a sterling job bringing the words to life, and I was surprised by how quickly I ate my way through the book. It of course helps that I find the subject matter absolutely fascinating, but the production quality is excellent, which most certainly adds value to the overall experience.

Put simply, Tolkien had an incredibly intense, focused intellect – words really were his jam, if we excuse my dreadful abuse of idiom. He was also very much a product of his time, something that we who live in a more liberal society should keep in mind. Tolkien's milieu was mostly divided along strict gender roles – and he was very much a man's man in terms of where he sought his friendships. Yet by equal measure, he adored his wife Edith – in a way I feel that saw her placed upon a pedestal. Humphrey does touch upon the tensions that occasionally arose between Tolkien and Edith – the man really did inhabit two worlds.

It's my opinion this gender-based segregation was a product of the then educational institutions in a largely patriarchal society, which was further reinforced by Tolkien's experiences fighting in the trenches during WW1. This life-and-death camaraderie between men is echoed quite clearly in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is what it is – cultural artefact of an era.

What Humphrey further unpacks is Tolkien's fascination with languages, which infuses everything from his academic work all the way to his ambitious fiction writing. Whether it's digging into the old Germanic languages upon which English has its foundations laid to the creation of imaginary languages in Middle-Earth, it's clear that this was a topic that engaged his imagination – and mine, too! I've often heard complaints that Tolkien's writing is too slow, too detailed, too boring, but for those with the patience and the love of the sound of words, each paragraph is a carefully crafted work of literary art. And this is a hill I'm prepared to die on.

In short, if you're looking for an introduction into the Prof's life and writing, and are curious about how works like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings went from hand-written manuscript to final product, that went on to spawn a popular multi-media fandom, then this is a good place to start. We even get to see the kindling and cooling of his friendship with another literary luminary – CS Lewis.

I can't help but wonder how things would have been different for the fantasy genre if Tolkien had more time (or the wherewithal) to expand on the other stories that exist as mere synopses in The Silmarillion. Although he is not the first to write fantasy, he most certainly ushered the genre into popularity, and many authors who followed in his wake were most certainly heavily inspired by his Middle-Earth.

Authentically Oxford

Humphrey Carpenter does a wonderful job describing Tolkien's world, especially Oxford, and he is especially good at capturing the background note of high grumpiness, which Oxford dons are known for. The narration is superb and itself very English.

Excellently done!

The contents of the book are fantastic but, as I am listening, I am much more impressed with the quality of the narration. It is really one of the best I have encountered so far!

Deep Insight, Masterfully Narrated

An excellent deep dive I to the mind and experiences of the author J. R. R. Tolkien. It is a masterpiece and for me hands down the most comprehensive and relevant biography of a man I admire and relate to so well, in spite of our differences.

The Hobbiter

This biography is far the best I have read of Tolkiens life because it is full of speculation, like the author is with you and having Tea. It does shed light on the relationship between the man and his creation. It is charming, warm and so true. I Thank the author and narrator for bringing Tolkien to life.

A must read

A must read for any Tolkien fan. An excellent biography. Very well told and well written.

The story behind the saga

Mr, Carpenter elegantly and subtly tells us about one of the world's greatest modern authors, his life, his struggles, and the pressures that molded the man as he wrote a world-renowned masterpiece. It is a must-read for LOTR fans or anyone who wants to know more about John Tolkien.

Glad Audible added this long-awaited title!

Humphrey Carpenter's biography of J. R. R. Tolkien is the classic biography of that author. It has been criticized lately for downplaying Tolkien's Catholicism and his knowledge of modern literature (post-Chaucerian literature). Fair enough. I hope Audible uploads some more recent books on Tolkien as well, which fill in these gaps, but I'd say this book is very worthwhile. It gives a broad and reasonably deep overview of his life. It is respectful of the author—neither hagiographical nor iconoclastic—and shows a surprising understanding of his theological outlook, which would be difficult for more recent authors to replicate, even if I do wish it gave more information about his religious / spiritual life.

Wholesome

Beautiful, wholesome book, and the narrator made it even better. I enjoyed it so much.

One of the world’s greatest authors

A touching look into the life and mind of one of the world’s greatest authors. Clearly and engagingly narrated.