tolkien biography humphrey carpenter pdf

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J.r.r. Tolkien: A Biography Paperback – Illustrated, June 6, 2000

• Print length 304 pages
• Language English
• Publisher William Morrow
• Publication date June 6, 2000
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.62 x 8.25 inches
• ISBN-10 0618057021
• ISBN-13 978-0618057023
• Lexile measure 1250L
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review.

Fans who want to delve even deeper into Tolkien's life should pick up a copy of Carpenter's The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien . --P.M. Atterberry

From Library Journal

"A panorama of vignettes done with poise and exhaustive command. A man emerges whole." The Washington Post "J.R.R. Tolkien left his impress upon a whole generation as few recent writers have done ... an excellent biography." Newsweek "Excellent." Newsweek —

About the Author

Humphrey Carpenter, the author of THE BRIDESHEAD GENERATION and THE INKLINGS, among other books, was given unrestricted access to all of Tolkien's papers for his biography of Tolkien, J.R.R. TOLKIEN: A BIOGRAPHY.

From The Washington Post

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow; Reprint edition (June 6, 2000)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0618057021
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0618057023
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1250L
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.62 x 8.25 inches
• #37 in Historical British Biographies
• #151 in Author Biographies
• #211 in Rich & Famous Biographies

About the author

Humphrey carpenter.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customers say

Customers find the biography enjoyable, insightful, and comprehensive. They describe the book as well-written, superb, and a must-read for any Tolkien fan. Readers also find the book delightful, entertaining, and beautiful. They find the author honest and factual.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the biography enjoyable, insightful, and comprehensive. They appreciate the well-informed detail and analysis. Readers also mention the book is compelling and vivid.

"...which was featured in the March Book Haul, provides some illumination into the underlying reasons that drove Tolkien to write what he wrote and..." Read more

"...as a linguist undoubtedly helped make his books vivid and compelling . That, and his constant obsession for editing, detail, and perfecting his work...." Read more

"...There is also an insightful account of how C.S. Lewis came to faith in Christ through his friendship with Tolkien." Read more

"...It provides a background of Tolkien's life from birth to death, his natural ability with languages, his family, the war, Oxford and being appointed..." Read more

Customers find the book well-written, superb, and enjoyable. They appreciate the excellent, well-thought-out description of JRR Tolkien's life and inner workings of his literary. Readers also mention the book is a must-read for any Tolkienian fan.

"...the life of this brilliant academic and writer is certainly well worth reading about ." Read more

" Excellent well thought out description of JRR Tolkiens life and inner workings of his literary mind...." Read more

"...This book is a very easy read and uncovers the intriguing life of J.R.R. Tolkien.Three Key Takeaways from the book:1...." Read more

"...go for biographies (and neither was Tolkien), but this is a very good one nonetheless ." Read more

Customers find the book delightful, entertaining, and a pleasure to read. They also describe it as beautiful, charming, and informative. Readers appreciate the absolute gifted brilliance of the author and say it makes a great companion volume.

"Carpenter's biography is excellent. It is a pleasant reading experience that focuses on the man and does not try to speculatively psychoanalyze his..." Read more

"...Letters and this biography HMC is doing him justice and producing beautiful renditions of each that should be on everyone's bookshelf." Read more

"...It was a delightful book about a very delightful , yet curious man. I only wish I could have known him in real life." Read more

"I found this biography interesting and enjoyable ...." Read more

Customers find the biography honest, engaging, and factual.

"Clear, concise, factual but with little interpretation of the works that fired this man' s imagination...." Read more

"... Honest and thorough." Read more

"An honest , engaging biography..." Read more

Customers find the book heartwarming, touching, and revealing. They say it captures the spirit of the man quite well.

"...guides us through Professor Tolkien’s life and career with great charm and humanity ...." Read more

"...and respectful account of his work and life and captures the spirit of the man quite well ." Read more

"... Very touching , revealing, and noteworthy," Read more

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Humphrey Carpenter 1946-2005

Related Papers

Nicole duPlessis

In his obituary for Carpenter, Douglas A. Anderson reviews Carpenter’s “long and complex” involvement with the subject of his 1977 authorized biography, indicating that “with [Carpenter’s] passing it is time to begin to assess his changing perspectives on Tolkien and on his own Tolkien-related work.” Since its publication, Carpenter’s biography of Tolkien, which Anderson calls “an excellent book. . . unusually accurate more than a quarter of a century after it was written, despite many advances in Tolkien scholarship” remains a largely unquestioned authority, its influence so entrenched as to be virtually invisible. As a result, scholarship on Tolkien, from biography to criticism, remains overwhelmingly influenced by Carpenter’s perspectives and methods, which, by Carpenter’s admission, are not always strictly fact-based. This influence is particularly pronounced in discussions of Tolkien and gender, which rely heavily on Carpenter’s depiction of Tolkien’s relationships with his mother, and with his wife Edith. In spite of scholarly reluctance to engage in the “biographical criticism” that Tolkien opposed, phrasing from Carpenter’s biography—or very close paraphrase—functions as evidence of dysfunction or sentimentalism, repeated as fact, sometimes without citation. An example is Carpenter’s assertion that “after [his mother] died, his religion took the place in his affections that she previously occupied.” Carpenter’s interpretations of Tolkien and Edith’s relationship dynamic are often used to pass judgement on the author without considering that Carpenter, as the member of a younger generation, was already influenced by the drastic changes in relationships and gender roles of the 1960s and 70s. This paper reviews Carpenter’s vexed relationship with the subject of his biography, offer evidence of the pervasive and often hidden scholarly use of the biography, and review Carpenter’s own negative and misleading depiction of Edith before offering some alternate interpretations of Edith’s character and situation before and during her marriage.

One Ring to Bind Them All. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on J.R.R. Tolkien and His Works. Edited by Monika Kirner-Ludwig, Stephan Köser and Sebastian Streitberger (eds.). Cormarë Series 37. Zurich and Jena: Walking Tree Publishers, 17-38.

Thomas Honegger

World Literature Today

Janet Croft

Michele Civita

Primarily known as an Oxford professor and philologist, Tolkien was far more than just the writer of two fantasy books (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) and few academic essays as one can normally expect: Tolkien became a landmark of English literature and a critical point for the spread of the literary genre of fantasy.

https://elexquisito.com

Joshua L . Roberts

This is a review of the compendium book, The Great Tales Never End: Essays in honour of Christopher Tolkien. The review also covers the book's coverage at the Oxford Literary Festival 2023. This coverage included a panel featuring the Bodley Library's Librarian Richard Ovenden, J.R.R. Tolkien writer John Garth, Oxford academic Stuart Lee & DPhil student Grace Khuri. Published in the Spanish Language journal El Exquisito. El Exquisito also does some English language publication. Review Link: https://elexquisito.com/christopher-tolkien-a-scholars-trove/

Tolkien Studies

Valerie Estelle Frankel

Andrew Higgins

Jason Fisher

Michael Drout , Hilary Wynne

Vincent M FERRE

Tolkien not only taught medieval literature but also edited medieval texts - such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Ancrene Wisse -, translated Pearl (a 14th century poem), and wrote important articles on Beowulf and Sir Gawain. A common feature of these articles is the claim for originality: Tolkien asserts that he takes the opposite view from his predecessors; besides,his reflexion on medieval literature seems, over twenty years, extremely coherent concerning heroism and war. Moreover, what seems important to him in these texts corresponds to important elements in his fiction. If the relation between fiction and non-fiction is examined in itself, more globally, Tolkien's works appear to present us a peculiar relation between fiction and essays or articles (his critical comments on medieval literature).

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Humphrey Carpenter

Humphrey William Bouverie Carpenter ( 29 April 1946 – 4 January 2005 ) was J.R.R. Tolkien 's authorised biographer.

In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography , Carpenter wrote The Inklings and edited The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (with assistance from Christopher Tolkien ).

He died of heart failure at the age of 58, a day after the anniversary of Tolkien's birth. He is buried in Wolvercote Cemetery .

Bibliography

• 1971 : Music Drama in Schools
• 1977 : J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
• 1978 : The Inklings
• 1980 : The Lord of the Rings Souvenir booklet commemorating twenty five years of its publication
• 1981 : The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
• 1984 : The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature
• " A World of His Own "
• “Table Talk: A Transcript of the After-dinner Speeches at the 1976 Annual General Meeting of the Tolkien Society,”,p. 34-43.
• " A Dialogue: Discussion by Humphrey Carpenter, Professor George Sayer and Dr. Clyde S. Kilby; recorded Sept. 29, 1979, Wheaton, Illinois "
• “‘Tolkien Reconsidered’: A Talk by Humphrey Carpenter Given at the Cheltenham Literary Festival,”
• “Our Brief Encounter,”
• "The 'idol' speaks"

Filmography

• 2003 : Secrets of Middle-earth: Inside Tolkien's "The Hobbit"
• 1982 : Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies , The Inklings
• Letter to Humphrey Carpenter (letter from Tolkien)
• The Hobbit (1967 stage adaptation)

External links

• Humphrey Carpenter at Wikipedia
• Remembering the Magic Man at theoxfordtimes
• An Interview with Humphrey Carpenter, 27 April 1992
• Humphrey Carpenter Obituary
• Martin Wainwright interview Humphrey Carpenter
• Obituary , by Douglas A. Anderson
• Humphrey Carpenter about Lord Byron

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• TOLKIEN A CELEBRATION
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• Tolkien AND THE GREAT WAR: ThE THRESHOLD OF MIDDLE-EARTH
• War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien
• Reading The Lord of the Rings
• Unsung Heroes of The Lord of the Rings: from the page to the screen
• J.R.R. TOLKIEN (WRITERS UNCOVERED SERIES)
• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FICTIONAL & FANTASTIC LANGUAGES

Books about J.R.R.Tolkien - J.R.R. Tolkien: a biography

Editions: Originally published by George Allen & Unwin Ltd on the 5th May of 1977 at £4.95. The first American edition was published by Houghton Mifflin Company on the 29th of June in 1977 at $10.00. 35.000 copies were made. In the US it was also publsihed by the Book-of-the-Month-Club. The first paperback edition appeared by Unwin Paperbacks on the 24th of July in 1978 at £1.25. And later in a newer binding at £1.59. The American paperback appeared the same year in September of 1978 for $2.50 and was published by ballantine Books. The Revised edition was printed by unwin Paperbacks in 1987 on the 12th of March at £4.95. Only 5000 copies were made. Followed the year after in 1988 on the 28th of October by a trade paperback edition, published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. They printed 7.500 copies and sold them for $8.95. Recently with the release of the movies lots of different editions appeared of this book, since the interest in Tolkien hightenend enormously.

Reviews: J.R.R. Tolkien: a biography (13.01.04) by Editorial Reviews from Amazon There may be a corner of the world where the name J.R.R. Tolkien is unknown, but you would be hard-pressed to find it. Since their publication, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have been published in every major language of the world. And though he single-handedly gave a mythology to the English and was beloved by millions, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien remained refreshingly unchanged by his fame and fortune, living out his days simply and modestly among the familiar surroundings of Oxford College. Humphrey Carpenter, who was given unrestricted access to tolkien's papers, brilliantly puts meat to the bones of the Tolkien legend in J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography , offering a well-rounded portrayal of this quiet, bookish man who always saw himself first and foremost as a philologist, uncovering rather than creating the peoples, languages, and adventures of Middle-Earth. Carpenter chronicles tolkien's early life with a special sensitivity; after losing both parents, Tolkien and his brother Hilary were taken from their idyllic life in the English countryside to a poverty-ridden existence in dark and sooty Birmingham. There were bright points, however. A social and cheerful lad, Tolkien enjoyed rugby and was proud of his gift for languages. It was also at this time that he met Edith Bratt, who would later become his wife. Academic life--both as a student and professor--is where this biography shines. Friendship with other men played a huge part in tolkien's life, and Carpenter deftly reveals the importance these relationships--his complex friendship with C.S. Lewis, membership in the Inklings and the T.C.B.S.--had on the development of his writing. The only criticism one can make about this book is that Carpenter tends to gloss over tolkien's contributions to comparative philology. True, there is a chapter devoted to tolkien's academic pursuits, but it tends to skim too lightly over the surface for this reviewer's tastes. Philology is a terribly methodical science, and the author clearly did not want to alienate readers who were primarily interested in Tolkien as a storyteller. Still, it would be nice to understand why Tolkien was held in such high esteem by his fellow academics. As it stands, Tolkien comes off as a slightly eccentric etymologist. Fans who want to delve even deeper into tolkien's life should pick up a copy of Carpenter's The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien . -- P.M. Atterberry Library Journal Carpenter's 1977 biography offers a broad look at the Oxford don, who lived a relatively quiet life. This also details his close friendship with C.S Lewis. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Book Description The authorized biography of the creator of Middle-earth. In the decades since his 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 South Africa in January 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was orphaned in childhood and brought up in near-poverty. He served in the first World War, surviving the Battle of the Somme, where he lost many of the closest friends he'd ever had. After the war he returned to the academic life, achieving high repute as a scholar and university teacher, eventually becoming Merton Professor of English at Oxford where he was a close friend of C.S. Lewis and the other writers known as The Inklings. Then suddenly his life changed dramatically. One day while grading 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 twentieth century's most cherished author.

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J.R.R. Tolkien : a biography

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