J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth: A Biography

by Daniel Grotta-Kurska

J. R. R. Tolkien is one of the most beloved and enigmatic writers of the twentieth century, yet surprisingly little is known about the personal life of the author of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings . After a traumatic childhood, Tolkien experienced the bloody trenches of World War I, then lived most of his life as an Oxford scholar in a cloistered academic community. In this fascinating illustrated biography, author Daniel Grotta examines how much of Tolkien's personal experience fired his incredible imagination and led to the creation of Middle-earth and its inhabitants.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Reference, History, Science Fiction Fantasy, Biography Memoir

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Also publishes under the name Daniel Grotta

Reviews

[Michelle Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can’t judge a book by its cover - but you can, and we do. This hardcover book with beautiful paintings is aesthetically pleasing enough to be perching on your mantle piece gathering dust bunnies. But read this biography of Tolkien before too many dust bunnies invade, for you will (likely) then decide to read another Tolkien book - a good decision.

[Josep Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent book, but I can't understand why the author would publish it if the family told him not to. Well, I can ($$$), but it's not very nice at all. A good read though!

[Michael Grizer (He-Him) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting short read that gives a great insight into JRR Tolkien's life. Definitely recommend for anyone who wants to know what is behind the stories.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freelance Journalist Daniel Grotta’s 1991 edition with pictures by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, of Grotta’s biography of J.R.R. Tolkien, is worth reading if a reader finds Tolkien, The Hobbit, and the Lord of Rings interesting. Grotta does not really gear his biography for readers who have not read Tolkien’s works, so a person will probably only be interested in this biography if they have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. One item of note: when Grotta first was researching J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth, in 1975, a feud developed between Grotta and one of Tolkien’s sons, Christopher Tolkien, who manages J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate. Christopher tried to stop the Grotta’s biography being published because Christopher had authorized the biographer Humphrey Carpenter to write the authorized biography of Tolkien. Grotta claims that he wrote his biography of Tolkien to show “how Tolkien’s personal life related to his magical, almost miraculous transformation of imagination into literature.” This statement of Grotta combined with the feelings of the Goodreads reviewer, Josep Marti is probably right that Grotta wrote the biography over Christopher’s wishes to make money as the first published biography of Tolkien. That being said Giotta’s biography of Tolkien is well done and more readable than I thought the book would be. I understand why Christopher was angry with Grotta, but Tolkien, as portrayed by Grotta, has no “skeletons in his closet” and Tolkien comes across mostly as he once described himself as “a hobbit in all but size.”

[X · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did I not get the edition with pictures? I think that would have helped my rating a lot. Much of the information is common Tolkienite knowledge now, but it probably was not when the book was written. Unfortunately, it is an "unoffical" biography, written not only without the consent of the Tolkien family, but against their express wishes that it not be written, and I think a lot the the information is guesswork and conjecture.

[Crazy Uncle Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I have been a fan of Tolkien's writings for years but after reading this I have become just as much a fan of Tolkien himself. He was a fascinating man with a very interesting life.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adequate biography. Contained some surprising quotes by Tolkien (referencing Simone de Beauvoir while describing how LOTR is about death (p. 105 of 1978 ed.), mentioning that a friend read LOTR only at Lent because it was "so hard and bitter"). Tolkien and his friend had a different take on LOTR than most readers.

Those might be in other biographies (this is the only one I've read). One thing that may be unique to this work is Grotta's speculations as to the meaning of LOTR (in the Author's Note). He says that it's a case of reification, making something we take to be real, an "intentional object" in terms of phenomenology. There's a UFO-based "new religious movement" called Unarius that believes that all sci fi films are documentaries of some other world. What the mind sees as real connects to something real -- maybe crazy at first thought, but then, taken broadly, all of perception falls under that. Similarly, it's as though Middle Earth is real. (If you want, you can learn Elvish, like the Oxford undergrad who speaks it with Tolkien late in Tolkien's life.)

Tolkien figured out how to make that happen, do world-building. Grotta suggests (p. 173)

The process of reifying mythology is quite complex, but appears to have the following elements: a world like our own, but different enough that it cannot be specifically identified; a pseudo-scholarly exposition of the natural, historical, cultural, and linguistic background of that world; the formula of a "rediscovered" rather than an invented world; a world that may not conform to all the known laws of nature, but does not obviously contradict them; a lengthy tale that would allow enough time in which to express all the aforementioned.

. Tolkien did this so that modern people (who had access to the texts of Greek, Norse, Biblical, etc., myths but didn't connect with them because science and history proved them wrong) could take as real the world in which the story played out, and have a "modern myth", with all its psychological power. This is Grotta's idea, more or less, and it's interesting, at least.

[Chris Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this book.
I did not.
My gripes with this book can be split into two types - issues with content and issues with editing.

In terms of content, the author seems to have a strange and inconsistent view of Tolkien. He is described as being "lazy" in one chapter and shown to be a diligent and hard worker in another. He is noted as being both indifferent to criticism and as being incensed by criticism at various points. I have learned since finishing that the author had published this book without the help, and indeed, against the explicit wishes of, the Tolkien family (there is one point in the book where the author laments about having been blacklisted by Tolkien's friends who, he says, were forbidden to talk to him by the Tolkien family). I wonder how much of the book is factual and how much was hearsay evidence collected from tertiary sources. I also wonder just how familiar the author was with Tolkien's work as he makes a number of errors regarding the people and places of Middle Earth (eg: mistaking Moria for Mordor, using Numenor and Dunedain interchangeably, etc).

In terms of editing, the book fails on numerous occasions. There are typos and grammatical errors abound. Many of the footnotes do not match up with the text (for example, one page has three marked notes in the body of the text, but has only two footnotes at the bottom of the page). On at least one occasion, the book refers to a quote that is actually included on the wrong page; the quote itself is pasted into the middle of a paragraph which has nothing to do with it. Most egregious are the large blank spaces throughout the book that are noted as "left blank due to legal considerations". I'm not sure how any of this was able to get past an editor (was there even an editor?).

There are better (authorized!) biographies of Tolkien out there. Go read one of those instead.

[David Skeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short biography of Tolkien, with a focus on his life, family, scholarship, and literary accomplishments. On that score, Grotta-Kurska does admirably. He offers scant description about Tolkien's beliefs and values, about what drove him to write his famous books. You will find more about Tolkien's thinking from a biography of C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath. The Afterword by Grotta-Kurska is severely lacking in its discussion of Lord of the Rings as myth. There is more richness in Tolkien's work, where principles of honor and loyalty are exemplified. Tolkien's books are not parables or morality plays, but Middle Earth abounds in wonderful stories that describe how our world is and should be. There is an evangelistic side of Tolkien's writing: not as allegory, but as an appeal to truth, beauty, and love.

One other note to defend this biography: the Tolkien family did not provide access to Tolkien's letters, and these would have given him much more depth to comprehend Tolkien's thinking. McGrath had this level of access for Lewis.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of this book, thought not nearly as much as I loved _Pioneer Girl_ (Laura Ingalls Wilder's biography). I am surprised that one (actually two, I think) of my sixth graders actually read any part of this, because it is not kid-friendly at all. Still, I learned some interesting things about Tolkien and his writing community (with C.S. Lewis) and his books.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and fun if dated biography. The author did not have the approval or blessing of the Tolkien estate and family, which is evident, but this is still a fun read for any Tolkien fan who wants to read about their favorite author. Checked it out from my library and it is the only bio they have on Tolkien. Will probably suggest they acquire a better/more recent one.

[Mike Bright · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lord of the Rings and other Tolkien writings are deeply important to me. I appreciated learning more about Tolkien the person. However, the author is clear that this was not a biography authorized by the Tolkien family, so the author's sources were limited. That said, he does a nice job reconstructing the outline of Tolkien's life and giving a sense of the man.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough, enjoyable - also exceptionally nicely printed and bound. A pleasure to read for anyone fond of Tolkien.

[Alex Hoeft · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fascinating to read about JRR Tolkien, the man/myth/legend. I learned a ton about his life and the creation of LOTR. A quick and worthwhile read.

[Kita Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learnt about Tolkien. Interesting life.

[Darth Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Massimo Penazzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biografia abbastanza esauriente.

[Connor William · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this biography, Daniel Grotta attempts to relay to his reader the life story of J.R.R. Tolkien. There are many repeated quotes, a criticism of one of Lin Carter’s opinions (rather rudely, I must say), and times when he boldly states some of his own theories as wholly factual; however, below I shall briefly discuss the elements which I disliked most about this biography:

Grotta ventures to write quite a lot about The Lord of The Rings and of its significance. He delves deeply into both the impact and influence it made upon the modern world- how it spurred along countless individuals in their own writing and social endeavours. Though this is of interest to me, I did not appreciate the weight of it all in this particular biography- indeed in any biography about Tolkien- for when I choose to read a biography about him, I wish only to learn of his life and who he was. If I wished to know about the significance of his storytelling, I would choose, say, T.A. Shippey’s “Tolkien - Author Of The Century”. He also does this when discussing The Inklings. Furthermore, I do not appreciate the manner in which he places the dates. Oft times, they are not written in order. He commonly refers to an event in Tolkien’s life which occurred much later on in relation to the reader’s current position in the timeline. That habit particularly irritates me, as it can cause confusion in the timeline. The chapters also feel far too long. I would have preferred them shorter, with more chapters, which, by providing more detail, would make the reader feel immersed in the notable events within the timeline of Tolkien’s life. Furthermore, I do not know if it was my particular edition, but I found many spelling errors in Tolkien’s invented names when Grotta discussed them.

I do however appreciate the way in which Grotta captures the importance of how Tolkien felt living in a rapidly changing world and how he expresses quite well Tolkien’s contempt toward it. He also incorporates Tolkien’s philosophical views toward the realm of Faerie by referring to his lecture “On Fairy-stories”, explaining how he carried over those beliefs into his own fantastical writings.

In conclusion, I appreciated Daniel Grotto’s book quite a lot, as he still achieved the telling of Tolkien’s life accurately, writing many illuminating and fascinating points along the way, and did so in an appealing fashion. However, it would not be the first biography I would recommend to someone seeking to learn about Tolkien himself.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading this while waiting for my doctor to give a regular physical exam. He remarked that he had read it and recalled that it portrayed Tolkien a very Christian. Indeed, it does and thus neatly dovetails Tolkien with fellow Inklings, like C. S. Lewis.

However, this biography is much more than that. I especially like this 1975 work for clearly indicating how the master philologist needed to create The Hobbit and LOTR in order to flesh out the Elvish tongue. It was language and the handmade myth that truly compelled him.

"As Tolkien worked on Elvish, he discovered some very important principles that were later to lead him into writing both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As he created his language, he realized that language presupposed a mythology. In his view, language developed from a desire to relate experience, and not merely to convey information. To tell the past is history; but explain the past, and to make it meaningful to the present, is mythology. Suddenly, Tolkien realized that Elvish was useless as a language unless it too had a mythology, or a meaningful history to explain its origin and justify its existence.”

Thus, this mytho-philoligical imperative led to the development of Middle-earth’s people, stories, and sorrows. He constructed his myths to fully invent the Elvish language.

Also, definitely, the author makes convincing arguments that Tolkien’s youth and moving from South Africa to a transforming Sarehole in England had much more to do with the birth of The Hobbit and LOTR than WWI or even WWII. Also, I had no idea “dwarves” was a thoroughly defended misspelling.
This books gives such detail on England in South Africa (Orange Free State), Oxford and English university history and systems as well as copyright laws between England and America that the book has very much a microhistory feel, making it feel modern like it belong on the shelf next to Mark Kurlansky, etc.

[Apryl Anderson]

(27.12.1993), I really enjoyed this biography. Here’s the story of a genius who knew the importance of the simplicity of a good story. His pretense was that language is created in order to really its own creation myth. And following that concept, he created the myth to support his own Elfin language.

Also found the ideas concerning the need for fantasy very relevant.

“After establishing the need for and the appeal in our society, Tolkien preceded to analyze in detail just how successful fantasy allows the reader to voluntarily suspend disbelief (to paraphrase Coleridge;s formula) and thereby accept fantasy as something ‘real’. Tolkien appreciated* that an important rule in the creation of fantasy is that a writer should use these things in the real (or primary) world with which he is most familiar. In fact, fantasy is made form components of the real world, and must therefore be consistent with itself, and in agreement with natural law (and by deduction, God’s world.) Such a world or universe cannot make a mockery of our senses and sensibilities, and though it may introduce such obviously impossible ideas as one-eyed giants or invisible elves, there must be logic and consistency even in the absurd.”

Interesting concept.

Also, there was a very fine line between allegory and a pure tale. How can one avoid allegory when he delves into Good & Evil? If the emotional scars resulting from a WWI battlefield are no premonition of Armagedon, then who is more capable of describing the Last War?

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1030238.html#cutid2[return][return]It is two-thirds the length of Carpenter's book, and one third the quality. Grotta admits rather grumpily (indeed, perhaps even peevishly!) that he was not given much access by the Tolkien family, but is gracious enough to recommend that the interested reader should get Carpenter's book as well - I doubt if Carpenter would have or indeed should have returned the compliment! For the non-British reader he offers perhaps a bit more external perspective on what England was like in the early twentieth century, and he has more of the detail on the Ace vs Ballantyne affair, but he makes several annoying errors of detail which make it difficult to really trust the rest of his findings. Also the book is irritatingly repetitive in places. I would hesitate even to recommend it for the completist.

[East Bay J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in a pile of free stuff while walking around my neighborhood. Published in 1976, three years after Tolkien's death, this bio was written without the support of the family. This means Grotta did not have access to Tolkien's papers, which was quite in keeping with Tolien's dislike of bios. That being understood, this is a nice little summary of Tolkien's life, light on details but you get the gist. The degree of the reader's interest in the subject matter will likely determine the level of enjoyment. Grotta touches on some analysis of Tolkien's writing, possibly informed by Randal Hemls 1974 study, Tolkien's World. This is more like a well researched fan bio than a proper biography but not a bad read. No pictures (Booooo!) but the Hildebrandt painting of Tolkien bullshitting with a dwarf is priceless.

[Lynn Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not impressed with this book. The author makes a lot of mistakes in describing the LOTR and Hobbit books. He confuses Mordor and Moria. He also seems to give the impression that Tolkien was lazy. I don't know how someone who was a respected and brilliant professor of languages at Oxford, created a whole world with several different languages and histories and wrote best selling books while caring for a wife with ill health and 4 children can have time to be lazy... !

The author was denied access to family papers from the Tolkien estate, as they had given the biographical rights to someone else. You can tell he holds a grudge against the Tolkien estate for this, and you can tell he especially dislikes Christopher Tolkien.

The only part I really enjoyed was the description of life at Oxford during the Inklings era.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, one of the most important qualities a biography can have is to be written by a biographer that admires their subject but is still aware and unafraid of the subject’s faults. It gives the book balance and makes the story feel like a more complete picture, and this book has that quality. Biographies that are all praise or all fingerpointing are never fun to read. Of course, I read about people like Tolkien and Curie, so, you know, not exactly controversial figures in the first place. Anyway, this book does provide that balance and I enjoyed reading it very much both on the subject matter and the writing. I was expecting it to be a little hard to read because it was written in the 70s, but that is not so. If you enjoy Tolkien’s books, this is a good source for further research about his life.

[Bethany Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable read. I liked learning about the person who created Middle-Earth. He is one of my favorite authors.

It was neat that to learn how JRR Tolkien grew up and how he was a soldier in the first world war and I really enjoyed learning about him.

I liked how we got to see how he started to create the world of Middle-Earth and how the history of middle earth came to be.

It was neat to learn about a favorite author and it made me wish that I could have meet him. It was a really fun read.

[Abby Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It had a good description on a great author’s life. It began at the beginning of Tolkien's life and ending at his death. It was very interesting to learn about all of the struggles he had to go through to become a famous author and how he overcame those struggles. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in J.R.R. Tolkien’s life and how he was the “Architect of Middle-Earth”.

[Antoine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like many Tolkien fans of the seventies, Grotta wanted Tolkien-the-man to be some sort of flower child, and had difficulty understanding or sympathizing with the deeply conservative, Roman Catholic philologist that JRRT actually was. The result, and that the fact that Grotta seems more interested in making a buck than doing his homework, makes for lousy biography.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this gorgeously illustrated volume out from the library and then it promptly got buried until today when I saw it was due and had been renewed the max number of times. I spent an hour skim reading the second half and found it to be a well-written, interesting and insightful look at Tolkien's life and the creation of his masterpiece.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography, looks at Tolkien the man, Tolkien the scholar and his associates during the first half of the last century. Delves into the fantasy world of a philologist and especially his love of Anglo-Saxon and Norse mythology, the roots of his writing.

[Sue Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Tolkiens books several times, it was fascinating to learn about his life and what his career was like. Great insights into a great writer, mythologist, and philologist, as well as the British educational system. I loved this book and highly recommend it.