Tolkien: Man and Myth, a Literary Life

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings took first place in a recent nationwide British poll to find the greatest book of the century. He may be the most popular writer of our age, but Tolkien is often misunderstood. This major new study of his life, his character and his work reveals the facts and confronts the myths. It explores the background to the man and the culture in which he wrote. Tolkien: Man and Myth observes the relationships that the master writer had with his closest literary colleagues. It reveals his unique relationship with C.S. Lewis, the writer of the Narnia books, and the roots of their estrangement. In this original book about a leading literary life, Joseph Pearce enters the world created by Tolkien in the seven books published during his lifetime. He explores the significance of Middle Earth and what it represented in Tolkien's thinking. Myth, to him, was not a leap from reality but a leap into reality. "Pearce writes beautifully and with great depth, and the Tolkien who emerges is an impressive being - a man of literary strength and respectability." - The Tablet Joseph Pearce is a full-time writer living in Norfolk, England. He is the author of a recent major biography of G.K. Chesterton, Wisdom and Innocence. He writes for Catholic and literary journals, and is working on a study of 20th century literary converts to be published by Ignatius Press in the next year.