Letter 323

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
← Letter 323 →
Recipient	Christopher Tolkien
Date	2 June 1971
Subject(s)	A fabulous May, a bit of sickness

Letter 323 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

Tolkien apologized to Christopher for not writing in a while. He had gone through the entire month of May without a stroke of writing. Part of the time was spent on a brief holiday to Sidmouth. Tolkien delightedly described arriving in the "spring explosion" of glory, of flowers and oaks leafing out splendidly.

The Belmont hotel proved a very good choice. Although grim looking, it had a perfect position and the best place for eating. Some faithful cruise-friends had moved to Sidmouth and had vetted their rooms, provided a car, and took them on drives nearly every day. Tolkien thus was able to revisit country he and Christopher had seen years ago. Sidmouth seemed practically unchanged, with shops named Frisby, Trump, and Potbury.

A break in the letter occurred and on 10 June Tolkien report that he and his wife had been afflicted either with a virus or food-poisoning. The risk of the latter, he said, kept rising in this polluted country. Tolkien longed to see his son and regretted the distance between their dwellings.