Letter 267 - Revision history

Mith: Changed date format

2011-06-11T15:06:50Z

Changed date format

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:06, 11 June 2011
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	\| #=267		\| #=267
	\| to=[[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)\|Michael Tolkien]]		\| to=[[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)\|Michael Tolkien]]
−	\| date=[[~~1965#~~January\|~~January~~ 9-10]], [[1965]]	+	\| date=[[9 January\|9]]-[[10 January]], [[1965]]
	\| subject=Fame and famous people, Tolkien's mother and bitterness		\| subject=Fame and famous people, Tolkien's mother and bitterness
	}}{{letter\|267}}		}}{{letter\|267}}

Morgan: /* Summary */ stylistic tweak

2011-04-16T22:59:08Z

Summary: stylistic tweak

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:59, 16 April 2011
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	}}{{letter\|267}}		}}{{letter\|267}}
	==Summary==		==Summary==
−	Tolkien noted the recent deaths of his friend Dr. [[Wikipedia:Charles Talbut Onions\|C.T. Onions]], aged 91 ⅓ years, and of [[Wikipedia:T. S. Eliot\|T.S. Eliot]]. He called [[wikipedia:John Masefield\|John Masefield’s]] 8 lines of verse on Eliot in The Times a perfect specimen of bad verse, almost down to [[Wikipedia:William Wordsworth\|Wordsworth’s]] zero-standard.	+	Tolkien noted the recent deaths of his friend Dr. [[Wikipedia:Charles Talbut Onions\|C.T. Onions]], aged 91 ⅓ years, and of [[Wikipedia:T. S. Eliot\|T.S. Eliot]]. He called [[wikipedia:John Masefield\|John Masefield’s]] 8 lines of verse on Eliot in ''The Times'' a perfect specimen of bad verse, almost down to [[Wikipedia:William Wordsworth\|Wordsworth’s]] zero-standard.

	The limitations of Tolkien's "fame" neither disturbed nor surprised him. He had gone to hear the last lectures of [[Wikipedia:Robert Graves\|Robert Graves]], the Professor of Poetry (who had delivered what Tolkien called the most ludicrously bad lecture he had ever heard). Afterward he introduced Tolkien to a pleasant young woman who had attended it and they got along quite well. Graves laughed, saying that it was obvious neither of you had ever heard of the other before. The lady was [[Wikipedia:Ava Gardner\|Ava Gardner]], which still meant nothing to him till some people informed him that she was a film-star of some note. The press of newsmen and storm of flash-bulbs outside were not directed at Graves and certainly not Tolkien.		The limitations of Tolkien's "fame" neither disturbed nor surprised him. He had gone to hear the last lectures of [[Wikipedia:Robert Graves\|Robert Graves]], the Professor of Poetry (who had delivered what Tolkien called the most ludicrously bad lecture he had ever heard). Afterward he introduced Tolkien to a pleasant young woman who had attended it and they got along quite well. Graves laughed, saying that it was obvious neither of you had ever heard of the other before. The lady was [[Wikipedia:Ava Gardner\|Ava Gardner]], which still meant nothing to him till some people informed him that she was a film-star of some note. The press of newsmen and storm of flash-bulbs outside were not directed at Graves and certainly not Tolkien.

Gamling: Created page with "{{letter infobox | #=267 | to=Michael Tolkien | date=January 9-10, 1965 | subject=Fame and famous people, Tolkien's mother and …"

2011-04-16T22:41:01Z

Created page with "{{letter infobox | #=267 | to=Michael Tolkien | date=January 9-10, 1965 | subject=Fame and famous people, Tolkien's mother and …"

New page

{{letter infobox
| #=267
| to=[[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)|Michael Tolkien]]
| date=[[1965#January|January 9-10]], [[1965]]
| subject=Fame and famous people, Tolkien's mother and bitterness
}}{{letter|267}}
==Summary==
Tolkien noted the recent deaths of his friend Dr. [[Wikipedia:Charles Talbut Onions|C.T. Onions]], aged 91 ⅓ years, and of [[Wikipedia:T. S. Eliot|T.S. Eliot]]. He called [[wikipedia:John Masefield|John Masefield’s]] 8 lines of verse on Eliot in The Times a perfect specimen of bad verse, almost down to [[Wikipedia:William Wordsworth|Wordsworth’s]] zero-standard.

The limitations of Tolkien's "fame" neither disturbed nor surprised him. He had gone to hear the last lectures of [[Wikipedia:Robert Graves|Robert Graves]], the Professor of Poetry (who had delivered what Tolkien called the most ludicrously bad lecture he had ever heard). Afterward he introduced Tolkien to a pleasant young woman who had attended it and they got along quite well. Graves laughed, saying that it was obvious neither of you had ever heard of the other before. The lady was [[Wikipedia:Ava Gardner|Ava Gardner]], which still meant nothing to him till some people informed him that she was a film-star of some note. The press of newsmen and storm of flash-bulbs outside were not directed at Graves and certainly not Tolkien.

On the other hand, Tolkien's "ego" got a lot of strong boosts now and then. [[Wikipedia:Burke Trend, Baron Trend|Burke Trend]] a recent honorary Fellow and secretary to the Cabinet met Tolkien and declared himself a "fan", as were most of the House on both sides. Four days earlier he had received a warm fan-letter from [[Wikipedia:Iris Murdoch|Iris Murdoch]] (which he told Michael if that name was just an "Ava Gardner" to him it could not be helped).

Tolkien recalled his mother's death: She was young, worn by persecution, poverty, and disease yet had handed to her small boys her Faith. It was bitter to him when his children strayed away from the Church. Tolkien had met many bad priests but one [[Francis Xavier Morgan|Father Francis]] outweighed them all. He had been an upper-class Welsh-Spaniard Tory that some considered a pottering old snob and gossip, which Tolkien said he was and was not. From him he had learned charity and forgiveness.
{{letters}}