Tolkien breaks silence over JRR's 'fierce, passionate' poem
JRR Tolkien's son Christopher admits the poetic form of his father's latest book, Sigurd and Gudrún, may 'put off' many Lord of the Rings fans
Alison Flood writing in the guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 May 2009

JRR Tolkien in 1973. Photograph: Reuters

The reclusive son of JRR Tolkien has broken his silence to admit fears that fans of his father's work may be "put off" by the verse form of his latest posthumous publication. Responding via fax to a series of questions about The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, published for the first time today, Christopher Tolkien expressed the hope that it would show a different side to the author of the much-loved classic The Lord of the Rings.

The 500-stanza poem is closely modelled on the Elder Edda, a collection of Norse myths preserved in a 13th-century manuscript, a pedigree Christopher Tolkien described as "unknown territory" for most people.
"I dare say that a good many will be instantly put off by the very idea of 'long narrative poems in verse' and pursue it no further," he said. It was equally possible that their form will lend them an "unexpected impact," he continued.
"My hope is that some of those who appreciate and admire the works of my father will find it illuminating in respect of Old Norse poetry in general, in his own treatment of the fierce, passionate and mysterious legend, and in this further and little known aspect of him as both philologist and poet. Above all I hope they will take pleasure in this poetry."

Christopher Tolkien, who as a child was paid two pence by his father for every mistake he could find in The Hobbit, and as an RAF pilot during the war contributed suggestions to the progress of The Lord of the Rings, worked from a manuscript which he believes his father wrote in the early 1930s. JRR Tolkien taught Old Norse alongside Anglo-Saxon at Oxford university, giving lectures and classes on Norse language and literature for at least 13 years.

For the full Guardian report go here.

And for a review in The Telegraph link here.

THE LEGEND OF SIGURD AND GUDRUN
By JRR Tolkien
Edited by Christopher Tolkien

Harper Collins
International Release Date Tuesday 5 May 2009
NZ RRP $49.99 Hardback