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Tolkien and the Great War
- The Threshold of Middle-earth
- Narrated by: John Garth
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
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Tolkien and the Great War
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Summary
“To be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than in 1939 … by 1918 all but one of my close friends were dead.”
So J.R.R. Tolkien responded to critics who saw The Lord of the Rings as a reaction to the Second World War. Tolkien and the Great War tells for the first time the full story of how he embarked on the creation of Middle-earth in his youth as the world around him was plunged into catastrophe. This biography reveals the horror and heroism that he experienced as a signals officer in the Battle of the Somme and introduces the circle of friends who spurred his mythology to life. It shows how, after two of these brilliant young men were killed, Tolkien pursued the dream they had all shared by launching his epic of good and evil.
John Garth argues that the foundation of tragic experience in the First World War is the key to Middle-earth’s enduring power. Tolkien used his mythic imagination not to escape from reality but to reflect and transform the cataclysm of his generation. While his contemporaries surrendered to disillusionment, he kept enchantment alive, reshaping an entire literary tradition into a form that resonates to this day.
This is the first substantially new biography of Tolkien since 1977, meticulously researched and distilled from his personal wartime papers and a multitude of other sources.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- mr philip kelly
- 30-08-19
too long.
This could have been made more interesting to general readers / listeners if they had not gone I to so much detail about the development of the languages used in the books.
It went on way too much.
He endured a lot, and lost so many around him.
very tough times.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Doctor G
- 09-06-18
Powerful and profound
One of the half dozen best books ever written about Tolkien; and indeed one of the best books about friendship, war, and the formation and nature of a genius. This audio version is well read by the author, who has a rare gift for speaking poetry. Listening to Tolkien and the Great War moved me to tears more than once, despite that I already owned and knew the paper version - this brings an extra dimension.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mr a thomson
- 15-08-19
I cannot rate this book highly enough.
As a lover of Tolkiens work, this book really was insightful and expressed the impact deep friendships, aswell as conflict can have on the creative genius that came from such a generation of scholars. Wonderfully put together, and well recommended.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- petitbilbo
- 25-01-15
A deep insight in the creative process of a genius
Well written, well documented and the narration, by the author (with supposedly no training in this craft) is quite excellent.
During the listening, old pangs of nostalgia felt when I first read Tolkien came up.
Very well done.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hurricane
- 02-11-23
Tolkien
Masterful story telling about a masterful story teller
Great insight into the great man's life
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