No kidding: Yet another J. R. R. Tolkien novel


Interestingly enough, the master appears to be even more prolific in death than he was during his lifetime. Edited by Christopher Tolkien, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún will be released next month. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is a previously unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien, written while Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford during the 1920s and '-30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It makes available for the first time Tolkien's extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and The Fall of the Niflungs. It includes an introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien, drawn from one of his own lectures on Norse literature, with commentary and notes on the poems by Christopher Tolkien.

The folks at Voyager book just sent me a link to a video sneak peek. Check it out here.

8 commentaires:

Casey said...

And...SOLD!

AngeloB said...

Just in case it's not clear: this is not a Middle Earth book.

Erik said...

Well I am interested in reading this. I love the Norse Sagas.

Anonymous said...

To follow up on being clear: this isn't a novel, it's long-form verse. I only do prose, so I'm afraid I'll be skipping this one...

Anonymous said...

your loss then, namesake. :D I'm so gonna get this one!

Cecrow said...

I think Christopher Tolkien has spent a lot more effort tidying up and publishing his father's old notes than his father ever would have gone to the trouble of, but there could be interest here. I have to ask myself though, whether I'd give this any more than a glance if Tolkien's name wasn't on it. Probably not.

CyndiF said...

This sounds like one of Tolkien's academic works--a translation of a classic Norse saga. If putting his name on top causes people who wouldn't have done so otherwise to check out some of the classic epics of the Viking age, then I'm for it.

Alexander Field said...

Sounds like fascinating reading...how could someone have kept his writing unpublished all these years though, unthinkable!