Letter 103

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
← Letter 103 →
Recipient	Christopher Tolkien
Date	11 October 1945
Subject(s)	First impressions of Merton College

Letter 103 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

After being elected to the Merton Professorship of English Language and Literature, Tolkien became a Professorial Fellow of Merton College. After being admitted, said Tolkien, he had to endure the most formidable College Meeting he had ever seen. He entered his name for college housing and got his Master Key to all gates and doors. It was incredible, he said, to belong to a real college, one that was large and wealthy. He walked around with Dyson, who had also just been elected and got the rooms Tolkien had wanted.