anniv. J R R Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973)

Today is the 39th anniversary of the death, aged 81, of J R R Tolkien.  He died in Oxford and was buried in Wolvercote Cemetery alongside his beloved wife Edith, who had predeceased him by two years. Their gravestone reads

Edith Mary Tolkien
Lúthien
1889–1971
John Ronald
Reuel Tolkien
Beren
1892–1973

JRRT as an officer with the Lancashire Fusiliers

Sadly, there's no full biography of Prof Tolkien.  Humphrey Carpenter had access to his papers, but the result was slight.

If the Estate do lighten their vice-like grip, the obvious contender for biographer is John Garth, who's Tolkien and the Great War did an excellent job on the early years, the Edith/Ronald love story and the traumas of the Great War.

Even if Garth doesn't get to complete the job, it's hoped that someone will be allowed to.