Letter 315a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 315a
Recipient	Michael Tolkien
Date	6 June 1970
Subject(s)	Trip to Nottingham, Edith's health

Letter 315a is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Summary

In this letter to his son Michael, Tolkien recounts his experience traveling to Nottingham with Rayner Unwin to receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters. The event was disrupted by noisy student demonstrations, which Tolkien described as making an already dull ceremony more tedious and unimpressive. Although some students carried placards with "UP TOLKIEN," indicating support or apology, Tolkien expressed dissatisfaction, stating that he did not wish to be associated with such demonstrators. He believed that a more intelligent reading of his works would suggest that he would have preferred their silence and disassociation from the disruptive elements.

Tolkien also shared concerns about his and Edith's health. Following a fall, Edith was recovering slowly but was now one-handed, limiting her activities such as knitting. At 81, her health issues were beginning to affect her significantly, as she started experiencing fatigue during the day, something she had never done before. These challenges placed additional burdens on Tolkien, who expressed concerns about his ability to undertake large-scale writing projects.