Written by 丨 Nie Liping
Christopher Tolkien, the younger son of british literary magnate J.R.R. Tolkien and the executor of Tolkien's literary legacy, died on January 15, 2020 in Provence, France, at the age of 95. Century Wenjing, the Chinese publisher of Tolkien's works, confirmed his death.
Christopher Tolkien
After J.R.R. Tolkien's death in 1973, Christopher became the executor of his literary legacy, and over the past 47 years Christopher edited or presided over the publication of 24 of his father's works, many of which became international bestsellers.
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings while creating a grand world full of legends and myths, but as a perfectionist, he did not publish the work in any form until his death. Christopher spent four years sorting out and compiling these legends, and in 1977 published The Sprite. According to the New York Times, Tolkien's work was researched by Correy Olson
(Corey Olsen)
In an interview, he said: "It opened up the world of Tolkien's rich and profound imagination and was amazing. "The Sprite Diamond is a worldwide seller, selling more than a million copies in the UK.
The Fairy Diamond, by J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien, Century Wenjing, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2015
Between 1983 and 1996, Christopher published a 12-volume History of Middle-earth, a compilation of 70 boxes of unpublished materials from Tolkien, collecting and analyzing a large number of materials related to Tolkien's works, not only revealing the creative process of Tolkien's works, but also showing Tolkien's way of thinking.
According to the news of Century Wenjing, Christopher, who is more than ninety years old, also sorted out "Belen and Lucien" and "The Fall of Gundolin" for readers before his death, which drew a satisfactory end to the combination of the three ancient legends of Middle-earth.
Christopher Tolkien was born on 21 November 1924 in Leeds, England, the third child and youngest son of J.R. Tolkien. For a time, Christopher was weak and often stayed at home, so J.R.R. Tolkien often read for him, and his son encouraged him. Soon, Christopher became his father's assistant and one of his earliest readers.
According to the obituary of Harper Collins, the British publisher of Tolkien's work, Christopher showed his talent as an editor at the age of five, listening to his father's bedtime stories, picking out the contradictory details of these stories, and whenever he found a mistake in The Hobbit, his father would reward him with two pennies. As a child, Christopher would type on a typewriter and map the Middle-earth world. Back in 1945, when he was appointed an officer in the RAF, his father had called him "my chief critic and right hand man".
Harper Collins CEO Charlie Redmayne said, "Christopher put his heart and soul into his father's work. J.R.R. Tolkien's world continues to be popular with readers, and is evidence of his decades-long hard work to bring the world of Middle-earth to generations of readers. Christopher Tolkien is extraordinary, he is a true gentleman, and it is our privilege to know him and work with him. ”
Editor 丨 Li Yongbo
Proofreading 丨 Xue Jingning