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{{disambig-more|Tolkien|[[Tolkien (disambiguation)]]}}
{{author infobox
{{author infobox
| image=[[File:Christopher Tolkien.jpg|250px]]
| image=[[File:Christopher Tolkien.jpg|250px]]
| name=Christopher Tolkien
| name=Christopher Tolkien
| born=[[21 November]], [[1924]]
| born=[[21 November]], [[1924]]
| died=
| died=[[16 January]], [[2020]]
| education=[[Wikipedia:Trinity College, Oxford|Trinity College]], [[Oxford]]
| education=[[Wikipedia:Trinity College, Oxford|Trinity College]], [[Oxford]]
| occupation=Author, Professor
| occupation=Author, Professor
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| website=[http://www.tolkienestate.com TolkienEstate.com]
| website=[http://www.tolkienestate.com TolkienEstate.com]
}}
}}
'''Christopher John Reuel Tolkien''' (born [[21 November]], [[1924]]) is the third child and youngest son of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] and [[Edith Tolkien]]. He is the literary executor of the [[Tolkien Estate]] and has edited much of his father's work for posthumous publication.<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.tolkien.co.uk/Non-Fiction/Pages/History-of-Middle-earth.aspx?page=2&sdt=1&sort=pno&objsct=History%20of%20Middle-earth|articlename=History of Middle-earth|dated=|website=[http://www.tolkien.co.uk Tolkien.co.uk]|accessed=18-11-2012}}</ref>
{{quote|And you were so special a gift to me, in a time of sorrow and mental suffering, and your love, opening at once almost as soon as you were born, foretold to me, as it were in spoken words, that I am consoled ever by the certainty that there is no end to this.|J.R.R. Tolkien<ref>{{L|64}}</ref>}}
'''Christopher John Reuel Tolkien''' ([[21 November]] [[1924]] - [[16 January]] [[2020]]) was the third child and the youngest son of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] and [[Edith Tolkien]]. He was the literary executor of the [[Tolkien Estate]] until his resignation in [[2017]], and he edited much of his father's work for posthumous publication.<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.tolkien.co.uk/Non-Fiction/Pages/History-of-Middle-earth.aspx?page=2&sdt=1&sort=pno&objsct=History%20of%20Middle-earth|articlename=History of Middle-earth|dated=|website=[http://www.tolkien.co.uk Tolkien.co.uk]|accessed=18-11-2012}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Biography==
Christopher Tolkien was named after his father's friend, [[Christopher Wiseman]] (he also sometimes uses his confirmation name, "John" as seen on his initials of maps of [[The Lord of the Rings]], "CJRT").  
{{sources}}
===Early life===
Christopher Tolkien was named after his father's friend, [[Christopher Wiseman]]<ref>{{L|306}}</ref>(he also sometimes used his confirmation name, "John" as seen on his initials of maps of [[The Lord of the Rings]], "CJRT").  


Born in [[Leeds]] and raised in [[Oxford]], Christopher went to the Dragon School in Oxford and Oratory School in Caversham, Berkshire. Due to a heart ailment, he was forced to stay at home and work with a private tutor. He enjoyed watching stars with a telescope as well as a passion for railways. As early as four and five, Christopher was concerned with the consistency of ''[[The Hobbit]]''.
Born in [[Leeds]] and raised in [[Oxford]], Christopher went to the Dragon School in Oxford and Oratory School in Caversham, Berkshire. He enjoyed watching stars with a telescope as well as a passion for railways. As early as age four and five, Christopher was concerned with the consistency of ''[[The Hobbit]]''.
{{Blockquote|Last time, you said Bilbo's front door was blue, and you said Thorin had a golden tassel on his hood, but you've just said that Bilbo's front door was green and that Thorin's hood was silver|Christopher Tolkien, foreword to The Hobbit}}
{{Blockquote|[O]n one occasion I interrupted: 'Last time, you said Bilbo's front door was blue, and you said Thorin had a golden tassel on his hood, but you've just said that Bilbo's front door was green and that Thorin's hood was silver'; at which point my father muttered 'Damn the boy,' and then 'strode across the room' to his desk to make a note.|Christopher Tolkien, foreword to The Hobbit}}


Christopher proved invaluable towards correcting ''The Hobbit'' and was paid twopence a correction.
Christopher proved invaluable in correcting ''The Hobbit'' after its publication and was paid twopence a correction.


==Young adulthood==
In [[1937]] he was with his elder brother [[Michael Tolkien|Michael]] at [[The Oratory School]].<ref>{{L|16}}</ref> However due to a heart ailment, he was forced to stay at home and work with a private tutor. After spending [[1938|a year]] with heart-specialists, on the turn of [[1939]], Christopher wanted to go to school.<ref>{{L|35}}, p. 42</ref>
In July of [[1943]] he entered the Royal Air Force and in [[1944]] he went to South Africa to train as a pilot. His absence did not however slow his contributions to his father's works as his father continually sent him parts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' to go over. In [[1945]] he returned to England and was stationed in Shropshire and later that year he returned to Oxford. On October 9th, [[1945]] his father informed him that the [[Inklings]] wished to consider him a permanent member. The task of reading ''The Lord of the Rings'' to the Inklings was passed on to Christopher and it was generally agreed that he was a better reader than his father.


==Adulthood==
===Young adulthood===
In [[1946]] Christopher returned to Trinity College to resume his studies and reading English. For a while his tutor was [[C.S. Lewis]]. His thesis was a translation of ''The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise'' and he received his B.A. in [[1949]]. Christopher also became a lecturer in Old and Middle English as well as Old Icelandic at Oxford. He worked as an editor on Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales,'' the ''Pardoner's Tale'', and the ''Nun's Priest's Tale''. From [[1963]] to [[1975]] he was a Fellow of New College, Oxford but resigned when he began to devote his time to his father's literary affairs.
In July of [[1943]] he entered the Royal Air Force and in November of that year he went to South Africa to train as a pilot. His absence did not however slow his contributions to his father's works as his father continually sent him parts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' to go over. In [[1945]] he returned to England and was stationed in Shropshire and later that year he returned to Oxford.  


==After his father's death==
On October 9th, [[1945]] his father informed him that the [[Inklings]] wished to consider him a permanent member. The task of reading ''The Lord of the Rings'' to the Inklings was passed on to Christopher and it was generally agreed that he was a better reader than his father.
[[File:Christopher Tolkien (black and white).jpg|thumb]]
After his father's death, Christopher embarked on organizing the masses of his father's notes, some of them written on odd scraps of paper a half-century earlier. Much of the material was handwritten, frequently a fair draft was written over a half-erased first draft, and names of characters routinely changed between the beginning and end of the same draft. Deciphering this was an arduous task, and perhaps only someone with personal experience of J.R.R. and the evolution of his stories could have made any sense of it; even so, Christopher has admitted to having to occasionally guess at what his father intended.


With the help of [[Guy Gavriel Kay]] he managed to compile ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' in only four years. During this time he also edited his father's translations of ''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]'', and ''[[Sir Orfeo]]''. He also worked on the ''[[Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings|Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings]]'' which was first published in [[1975]] as ''[[Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings]]'' in ''[[A Tolkien Compass]]''.
In 1954-55 Christopher was delegated the re-drawing of his father's ''Lord of the Rings'' maps for publication.


Christopher spent the years after continuing to study his father's works and taking the responsibilities of the [[Tolkien Estate]]. He recorded portions of ''The Silmarillion'' in [[1977]] and [[1978]] which was issued by Caedmon Records, New York. In [[1979]] he wrote about his father's illustrations and drawings for their publication in Tolkien calendars and ''[[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]''. Through [[1980]] and [[1983]] Christopher edited ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', ''[[The Monsters and the Critics|The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays]]'', and ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]'' which was the first volume in his twelve volume series of ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', the last of which was published in [[1996]]. In 1998 he edited a new edition of ''[[Tree and Leaf]]'' including the poem [[Mythopoeia]]. In [[2007]], he edited ''[[The Children of Húrin]]''. His latest publication has been the editing of ''[[The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún]]'' which was published in [[2009]].
===Adulthood===
In [[1946]] Christopher returned to Trinity College to resume his studies and reading English. For a while his tutor was [[C.S. Lewis]]. His thesis was a translation of ''[[Wikipedia:Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks|The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise]]'' and he received his B.A. in [[1949]]. Christopher also became a lecturer in Old and Middle English as well as Old Icelandic at Oxford. He worked as an editor on Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales,'' the ''Pardoner's Tale'', and the ''Nun's Priest's Tale''. From [[1963]] to [[1975]] he was a Fellow of New College, Oxford but resigned when he began to devote his time to his father's literary affairs, and soon afterward moved with his family to southern France.
 
===After his father's death===
In [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s last will and testament, Christopher was appointed literary executor and granted  ''"full power to publish, edit, alter, rewrite, or complete any work of [his father's] which may be unpublished at [his] death or to destroy the whole or any part or parts of any such unpublished works"''.<ref> [https://www.tolkienguide.com/guide/letters/474?filter=needswork J.R.R. Tolkien's last will and testament] on [[Tolkien Collector's Guide| TolkienGuide.com]] (accessed 29 July 2023)</ref> He embarked on the task of organizing the masses of his father's notes for subsequent publication; something he would continue to do for the remainder of his life. Much of the material was handwritten, frequently a fair draft was written over a half-erased first draft, and names of characters routinely changed between the beginning and end of the same draft. Deciphering this was an arduous task, and perhaps only someone with personal experience of J.R.R. and the evolution of his stories could have made any sense of it; even so, Christopher has admitted to having to occasionally guess at what his father intended.
 
With the help of [[Guy Gavriel Kay]] he managed to compile ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' in only four years. During this time, he also edited his father's translations of ''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]'', and ''[[Sir Orfeo]]''. He also worked on the ''[[Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings|Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings]]'', which was first published in [[1975]] as ''[[Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings]]'' in ''[[A Tolkien Compass]]''.
 
Christopher spent the years after continuing to study his father's works and taking the responsibilities of the [[Tolkien Estate]]. He recorded portions of ''The Silmarillion'' in [[1977]] and [[1978]] which was issued by Caedmon Records, New York. In [[1979]] he wrote about his father's illustrations and drawings for their publication in Tolkien calendars and ''[[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]''. Through [[1980]] and [[1983]] Christopher edited ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', ''[[The Monsters and the Critics|The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays]]'', and ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]'' which was the first volume in his twelve volume series of ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', the last of which was published in [[1996]]. In 1998 he edited a new edition of ''[[Tree and Leaf]]'' including the poem [[Mythopoeia]]. In [[2007]], he edited ''[[The Children of Húrin]]'', the first of the so called ''Great Tales'' of Middle-earth. His last publications were the editing of ''[[Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary ]]'' ([[2014]]), ''[[Beren and Lúthien]]'' ([[2017]]) and ''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'' ([[2018]]).
 
In 2016, Christopher Tolkien was awarded the [[Wikipedia:Bodley Medal|Bodley Medal]], the [[Wikipedia:Bodleian Libraries|Bodleian Libraries]]' highest honour, for his "''editorial work on his father's manuscripts''" and his "''academic career at the [[University of Oxford]]''".<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/news/2016/nov-03|articlename=Editor and Scholar Christopher Tolkien awarded Bodley Medal|dated=3 November 2016|website=[http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ bodleian.ox.ac.uk]|accessed=6 November 2016}}</ref>
 
In August [[2017]], Christopher Tolkien resigned from his appointment as director of the Tolkien Estate.<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07842430/officers|articlename=The Tolkien Estate Limited, Officers|dated=|website=[http://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/ Companies House] |accessed=14 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://tolkienbrasil.com/noticias/sobre-livros/christopher-tolkien-resignou-a-direcao-da-tolkien-estate/|articlename= Christopher Tolkien deixa Tolkien Estate|dated=|website=[http://tolkienbrasil.com/ Tolkien Brasil]|accessed=15 November 2017}}</ref>
 
He died on [[16 January]], [[2020]] in [[wikipedia:Draguignan| Draguignan]], France.<ref>{{webcite|author=Laurent Amalric avec e.e.|articleurl=http://www.varmatin.com/culture/christopher-le-fils-de-jrr-tolkien-sest-eteint-dans-le-var-a-lage-de-95-ans-448318|articlename=Christopher, le fils de J.R.R. Tolkien, s'est éteint dans le Var à l'âge de 95 ans|dated=16 January 2020|website=[http://www.varmatin.com/ Var-martin]|accessed=20 January 2020}}</ref>


==Response to adaptations==
==Response to adaptations==
{{Expansion}}
{{Expansion}}
{{Blockquote|...I recognize that this is a debatable and complex question of art, and the suggestions that have been made that I 'disapprove' of the films, whatever their cinematic quality, even to the extent of thinking ill of those with whom I may differ, are wholly without foundation.|Christopher Tolkien}}
{{Blockquote|...I recognize that this is a debatable and complex question of art, and the suggestions that have been made that I 'disapprove' of the films, whatever their cinematic quality, even to the extent of thinking ill of those with whom I may differ, are wholly without foundation.|Christopher Tolkien}}
Christopher Tolkien had never in his entire life sympathized the adaptations at any form of the works of his father. As a result, he never approved the idea of the adaptations of any works of his father that Tolkien Estate hold the copyright at any form, such as [[The Silmarillion]] or [[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]].


==Family==
==Family==
Line 41: Line 58:


Christopher's second wife, [[Baillie Tolkien|Baillie]] (1941) is Canadian, and is the daughter of Winnipeg surgeon [[Alan Klass]], and Helen Klass (née Jacob). She has a BA in English from the University of Manitoba and an MA from Oxford. She worked as J.R.R. Tolkien's secretary and was responsible for the section on poetry in the 1965 index to ''The Lord of the Rings''. She later edited ''[[The Father Christmas Letters]]''. She and Christopher have two children, [[Adam Tolkien]] and [[Rachel Tolkien]].
Christopher's second wife, [[Baillie Tolkien|Baillie]] (1941) is Canadian, and is the daughter of Winnipeg surgeon [[Alan Klass]], and Helen Klass (née Jacob). She has a BA in English from the University of Manitoba and an MA from Oxford. She worked as J.R.R. Tolkien's secretary and was responsible for the section on poetry in the 1965 index to ''The Lord of the Rings''. She later edited ''[[The Father Christmas Letters]]''. She and Christopher have two children, [[Adam Tolkien]] and [[Rachel Tolkien]].
==Portrayal==
He appears briefly in the biographical drama film [[Tolkien (film)|Tolkien]], portrayed by actor Jack Riley.


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
Line 72: Line 92:
*[[2009]]: ''[[The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún]]'' (editor)
*[[2009]]: ''[[The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún]]'' (editor)
*[[2013]]: ''[[The Fall of Arthur]]'' (editor)
*[[2013]]: ''[[The Fall of Arthur]]'' (editor)
*[[2014]]: ''[[Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary]]'' (editor)
*[[2017]]: ''[[Beren and Lúthien]]'' (editor)
*[[2018]]: ''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'' (editor)


===Articles===
===Articles===
Line 82: Line 105:
*[[1980]]: [[Mallorn 14|''Mallorn'' 14]]
*[[1980]]: [[Mallorn 14|''Mallorn'' 14]]
** "''The Silmarillion'', by J.R.R. Tolkien: A brief account of the book and its making"
** "''The Silmarillion'', by J.R.R. Tolkien: A brief account of the book and its making"
*[[1982]]: ''Quettar'' 13, Feb. 1982, pp. 8-9
*[[1982]]: [[Quettar 13]], Feb. 1982, pp. 8-9
**"The Tengwar Numerals". Christopher Tolkien ('CRT after JRRT'); rptd. ''Beyond Bree'' Dec. 1984, p. 1. Further, untitled, explanation of Tengwar numerals by Christopher Tolkien ('CRT after JRRT 10 March 1982'), in ''Quettar'' 14, May 1982, pp. 6-7.
**"The Tengwar Numerals". Christopher Tolkien ('CRT after JRRT'); rptd. ''Beyond Bree'' Dec. 1984, p. 1. Further, untitled, explanation of Tengwar numerals by Christopher Tolkien ('CRT after JRRT 10 March 1982'), in [[Quettar 14]], May 1982, pp. 6-7.
*[[1983]]: ''Amon Hen'' 63, August 1983, p. 4
*[[1983]]: [[Amon Hen 63|''Amon Hen'' 63]], August 1983, p. 4
**"...Future Publishing". Reproduced as 'Statement by Christopher Tolkien' in ''Beyond Bree'', November 1983, p. 2.
**"...Future Publishing". Reproduced as 'Statement by Christopher Tolkien' in ''Beyond Bree'', November 1983, p. 2.
*[[1984]]:  [[Amon Hen 70|''Amon Hen'' 70]], November 1984, p.3.
*[[1984]]:  [[Amon Hen 70|''Amon Hen'' 70]], November 1984, p.3.
Line 97: Line 120:
**"A Note on the Maps"
**"A Note on the Maps"
*[[2012]]: ''Le Monde'', 5 July
*[[2012]]: ''Le Monde'', 5 July
**"Tolkien, l'anneau de la discorde" by Raphaëlle Rérolle [interview]
**"Tolkien, l'anneau de la discorde" by Raphaëlle Rérolle (interview; [http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/my-father-039-s-quot-eviscerated-quot-work-son-of-hobbit-scribe-j.r.r.-tolkien-finally-speaks-out/hobbit-silmarillion-lord-of-rings/c3s10299/ English translation])
*[[2016]]: ''[[The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun]]''
**"Note on the text"


===Ephemera===
===Ephemera===
Line 111: Line 136:
*[[1977]]: ''J.R.R. Tolkien: The Silmarillion: Of Beren and Luthien, read by Christopher Tolkien''. New York: Caedmon Records TC1564, 1977. Sleeve notes by Christopher Tolkien. (Sleeve also has photo of CT.)
*[[1977]]: ''J.R.R. Tolkien: The Silmarillion: Of Beren and Luthien, read by Christopher Tolkien''. New York: Caedmon Records TC1564, 1977. Sleeve notes by Christopher Tolkien. (Sleeve also has photo of CT.)
*[[1978]]: ''J.R.R. Tolkien: Of the Darkening of Valinor, and Of the Flight of the Noldor, from The Silmarillion, read by Christopher Tolkien''. New York: Caedmon Records TC 1579, 1978. Sleeve notes by Christopher Tolkien. (Sleeve also has photo of CT.)
*[[1978]]: ''J.R.R. Tolkien: Of the Darkening of Valinor, and Of the Flight of the Noldor, from The Silmarillion, read by Christopher Tolkien''. New York: Caedmon Records TC 1579, 1978. Sleeve notes by Christopher Tolkien. (Sleeve also has photo of CT.)
*[[1992]]: ''The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son'', Read by J.R.R.Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins Audiobooks.
*[[2007]]: ''The Children of Húrin Audiobook'', Preface and introduction Read by Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins Audiobooks.
===Filmography===
* [[1996]]: [[J.R.R.T.: A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien]]
===Other===
*[[2022]]: ''[[The Great Tales Never End]]'', a book dedicated in Christopher's Tolkien memory. Published by Bodleian Libraries.


==Family Tree==
==Family Tree==
Line 124: Line 157:
* [[:Category:Books by Christopher Tolkien|Books by Christopher Tolkien]]
* [[:Category:Books by Christopher Tolkien|Books by Christopher Tolkien]]
* [[:Category:Images of Christopher Tolkien|Images of Christopher Tolkien]]
* [[:Category:Images of Christopher Tolkien|Images of Christopher Tolkien]]
==External links==
*[http://www.thehalloffire.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2250&sid=8cd1494eb408ae53eef603baf6be5ec6 History of the Silmarillion vs. History of Middle-earth] at thehalloffire.net (Quotes a letter from [[Christopher Tolkien]])
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQmh_Sfq88Y&ab_channel=Cit%C3%A9internationaledelatapisserieAubusson| Christopher Tolkien and the "Aubusson weaves Tolkien" project] on ''YouTube'' '''(French, with English subtitles)'''


{{references}}
{{references}}

Latest revision as of 04:00, 11 September 2023

The name Tolkien refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Tolkien (disambiguation).
Christopher Tolkien.jpg
Christopher Tolkien
Biographical information
Born21 November, 1924
Died16 January, 2020
EducationTrinity College, Oxford
OccupationAuthor, Professor
LocationEngland
France
WebsiteTolkienEstate.com
"And you were so special a gift to me, in a time of sorrow and mental suffering, and your love, opening at once almost as soon as you were born, foretold to me, as it were in spoken words, that I am consoled ever by the certainty that there is no end to this."
― J.R.R. Tolkien[1]

Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 - 16 January 2020) was the third child and the youngest son of J.R.R. Tolkien and Edith Tolkien. He was the literary executor of the Tolkien Estate until his resignation in 2017, and he edited much of his father's work for posthumous publication.[2]

Biography[edit | edit source]

"Who told you, and who sent you?" — Gandalf
This article or section needs more/new/more-detailed sources to conform to a higher standard and to provide proof for claims made.

Early life[edit | edit source]

Christopher Tolkien was named after his father's friend, Christopher Wiseman[3](he also sometimes used his confirmation name, "John" as seen on his initials of maps of The Lord of the Rings, "CJRT").

Born in Leeds and raised in Oxford, Christopher went to the Dragon School in Oxford and Oratory School in Caversham, Berkshire. He enjoyed watching stars with a telescope as well as a passion for railways. As early as age four and five, Christopher was concerned with the consistency of The Hobbit.

[O]n one occasion I interrupted: 'Last time, you said Bilbo's front door was blue, and you said Thorin had a golden tassel on his hood, but you've just said that Bilbo's front door was green and that Thorin's hood was silver'; at which point my father muttered 'Damn the boy,' and then 'strode across the room' to his desk to make a note.
—Christopher Tolkien, foreword to The Hobbit

Christopher proved invaluable in correcting The Hobbit after its publication and was paid twopence a correction.

In 1937 he was with his elder brother Michael at The Oratory School.[4] However due to a heart ailment, he was forced to stay at home and work with a private tutor. After spending a year with heart-specialists, on the turn of 1939, Christopher wanted to go to school.[5]

Young adulthood[edit | edit source]

In July of 1943 he entered the Royal Air Force and in November of that year he went to South Africa to train as a pilot. His absence did not however slow his contributions to his father's works as his father continually sent him parts of The Lord of the Rings to go over. In 1945 he returned to England and was stationed in Shropshire and later that year he returned to Oxford.

On October 9th, 1945 his father informed him that the Inklings wished to consider him a permanent member. The task of reading The Lord of the Rings to the Inklings was passed on to Christopher and it was generally agreed that he was a better reader than his father.

In 1954-55 Christopher was delegated the re-drawing of his father's Lord of the Rings maps for publication.

Adulthood[edit | edit source]

In 1946 Christopher returned to Trinity College to resume his studies and reading English. For a while his tutor was C.S. Lewis. His thesis was a translation of The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise and he received his B.A. in 1949. Christopher also became a lecturer in Old and Middle English as well as Old Icelandic at Oxford. He worked as an editor on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the Pardoner's Tale, and the Nun's Priest's Tale. From 1963 to 1975 he was a Fellow of New College, Oxford but resigned when he began to devote his time to his father's literary affairs, and soon afterward moved with his family to southern France.

After his father's death[edit | edit source]

In J.R.R. Tolkien's last will and testament, Christopher was appointed literary executor and granted "full power to publish, edit, alter, rewrite, or complete any work of [his father's] which may be unpublished at [his] death or to destroy the whole or any part or parts of any such unpublished works".[6] He embarked on the task of organizing the masses of his father's notes for subsequent publication; something he would continue to do for the remainder of his life. Much of the material was handwritten, frequently a fair draft was written over a half-erased first draft, and names of characters routinely changed between the beginning and end of the same draft. Deciphering this was an arduous task, and perhaps only someone with personal experience of J.R.R. and the evolution of his stories could have made any sense of it; even so, Christopher has admitted to having to occasionally guess at what his father intended.

With the help of Guy Gavriel Kay he managed to compile The Silmarillion in only four years. During this time, he also edited his father's translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Sir Orfeo. He also worked on the Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings, which was first published in 1975 as Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings in A Tolkien Compass.

Christopher spent the years after continuing to study his father's works and taking the responsibilities of the Tolkien Estate. He recorded portions of The Silmarillion in 1977 and 1978 which was issued by Caedmon Records, New York. In 1979 he wrote about his father's illustrations and drawings for their publication in Tolkien calendars and Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien. Through 1980 and 1983 Christopher edited Unfinished Tales, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays, and The Book of Lost Tales Part One which was the first volume in his twelve volume series of The History of Middle-earth, the last of which was published in 1996. In 1998 he edited a new edition of Tree and Leaf including the poem Mythopoeia. In 2007, he edited The Children of Húrin, the first of the so called Great Tales of Middle-earth. His last publications were the editing of Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary (2014), Beren and Lúthien (2017) and The Fall of Gondolin (2018).

In 2016, Christopher Tolkien was awarded the Bodley Medal, the Bodleian Libraries' highest honour, for his "editorial work on his father's manuscripts" and his "academic career at the University of Oxford".[7]

In August 2017, Christopher Tolkien resigned from his appointment as director of the Tolkien Estate.[8][9]

He died on 16 January, 2020 in Draguignan, France.[10]

Response to adaptations[edit | edit source]

"...It is a long tale..." — Aragorn
This article or section needs expansion and/or modification. Please help the wiki by expanding it.

...I recognize that this is a debatable and complex question of art, and the suggestions that have been made that I 'disapprove' of the films, whatever their cinematic quality, even to the extent of thinking ill of those with whom I may differ, are wholly without foundation.
—Christopher Tolkien

Christopher Tolkien had never in his entire life sympathized the adaptations at any form of the works of his father. As a result, he never approved the idea of the adaptations of any works of his father that Tolkien Estate hold the copyright at any form, such as The Silmarillion or The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

Family[edit | edit source]

Christopher's first wife, Faith (1928) took an English degree at Oxford and they had one son, Simon Tolkien. A bust of Tolkien by Faith was exhibited at the Royal Academy: Tolkien paid for its casting in bronze. It is now in the English Library in Oxford.

Christopher's second wife, Baillie (1941) is Canadian, and is the daughter of Winnipeg surgeon Alan Klass, and Helen Klass (née Jacob). She has a BA in English from the University of Manitoba and an MA from Oxford. She worked as J.R.R. Tolkien's secretary and was responsible for the section on poetry in the 1965 index to The Lord of the Rings. She later edited The Father Christmas Letters. She and Christopher have two children, Adam Tolkien and Rachel Tolkien.

Portrayal[edit | edit source]

He appears briefly in the biographical drama film Tolkien, portrayed by actor Jack Riley.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

Books[edit | edit source]

Articles[edit | edit source]

  • 1955-6: Saga-Book (University College, London, for the Viking Society for Northern Research) 14, part 3 (1955-6), pp. [141]-63.
    • "The Battle of the Goths and the Huns"
  • 1975: A Tolkien Compass
  • 1975: Les aventures de Tom Bombadil
    • [Handwritten note by Christopher Tolkien, dated March 1974, introducing two pages of script by J.R.R. Tolkien]
  • 1980: Mallorn 14
    • "The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien: A brief account of the book and its making"
  • 1982: Quettar 13, Feb. 1982, pp. 8-9
    • "The Tengwar Numerals". Christopher Tolkien ('CRT after JRRT'); rptd. Beyond Bree Dec. 1984, p. 1. Further, untitled, explanation of Tengwar numerals by Christopher Tolkien ('CRT after JRRT 10 March 1982'), in Quettar 14, May 1982, pp. 6-7.
  • 1983: Amon Hen 63, August 1983, p. 4
    • "...Future Publishing". Reproduced as 'Statement by Christopher Tolkien' in Beyond Bree, November 1983, p. 2.
  • 1984: Amon Hen 70, November 1984, p.3.
    • "'Moria Gate' ... Another Look"
  • 1986: Beyond Bree July 1986, pp. 1-3
    • "Notes on the Differences in editions of The Hobbit cited by Mr. David Cofield"
  • 1987: The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien. London: Unwin Hyman, 1987; fiftieth anniversary edition.
    • Foreword
  • 1988: Beyond Bree, August 1988, pp. 1-2
    • "The BBC Pronunciation Guide to The Lord of the Rings". Nancy Martsch. [About the transcription of Christopher Tolkien's recording of words and names in The Lord of the Rings for the BBC production by Brian Sibley.]
  • 1994: The Lord of the Rings, (1994 edition by HarperCollins Publishers, p.1140 of the one-volume edition)
    • "A Note on the Maps"
  • 2012: Le Monde, 5 July
  • 2016: The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
    • "Note on the text"

Ephemera[edit | edit source]

  • 1976: The Lord of the Rings 1977 Calendar. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1976. Notes on the Pictures by Christopher Tolkien.
  • 1976: Catalogue of an Exhibition of Drawings by J.R.R. Tolkien at the Ashmolean Museum Oxford ... Oxford: The Ashmolean Museum, 1976. Introduction by Baillie Tolkien. [?14 Dec 76]
  • 1977: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien: A Brief Account of the Book and its Making (pamphlet)
  • 1977: The Silmarillion Calendar 1978. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1977. Notes on the Pictures by Christopher Tolkien.
  • 1978: J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar 1979. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1978. Notes on the Pictures by Christopher Tolkien.
  • 1978: Map of Beleriand and the Lands to the North [poster]. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1978. As drawn by Christopher Tolkien for The Silmarillion, with colouring by H.E. Riddett.
  • 1980: Letter from Christopher Tolkien to Jared Lobdell, 21 June 1974, reproduced in: Eorclanstanar [Precious Stones] or The Hobbitiana: an offering of rarities by J.R.R. Tolkien [catalogue]. Melissa and Mark Hime [booksellers]. Idyllwild, California: 1980.

Audio[edit | edit source]

  • 1977: J.R.R. Tolkien: The Silmarillion: Of Beren and Luthien, read by Christopher Tolkien. New York: Caedmon Records TC1564, 1977. Sleeve notes by Christopher Tolkien. (Sleeve also has photo of CT.)
  • 1978: J.R.R. Tolkien: Of the Darkening of Valinor, and Of the Flight of the Noldor, from The Silmarillion, read by Christopher Tolkien. New York: Caedmon Records TC 1579, 1978. Sleeve notes by Christopher Tolkien. (Sleeve also has photo of CT.)
  • 1992: The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son, Read by J.R.R.Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins Audiobooks.
  • 2007: The Children of Húrin Audiobook, Preface and introduction Read by Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins Audiobooks.

Filmography[edit | edit source]

Other[edit | edit source]

Family Tree[edit | edit source]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Edith Bratt
 
J.R.R. Tolkien
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
John Tolkien
 
Michael Tolkien
 
Faith Faulconbridge
 
Christopher Tolkien
 
Baillie Tolkien
 
Priscilla Tolkien
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Simon Tolkien
 
 
Adam Tolkien
 
Rachel Tolkien


See also[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

References