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John Garth (author)

July 02, 2023

John Garth is a British journalist and author, known especially for writings about J. R. R. Tolkien including his biography Tolkien and the Great War and a book on the places that inspired Middle-earth, The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien. He won a 2004 Mythopoeic Award for Scholarship for his work on Tolkien.[1] The biography influenced much Tolkien scholarship in the subsequent decades.

Biography

John Garth read English at St Anne's College, Oxford. He trained as a journalist and worked for 18 years in newspapers including the Evening Standard in London. He then became a freelance author specialising in J. R. R. Tolkien, while continuing to contribute newspaper articles.[1]

Among his works of Tolkien scholarship are two monographs, namely the 2003 Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth and the 2020 The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places that Inspired Middle-earth. His many articles and chapters on Tolkien include "A Brief Biography" in Wiley-Blackwell's 2014 A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien, and ten essays in Routledge's 2006 J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. He has contributed articles and book reviews on Tolkien-related subjects in the specialist journals Tolkien Studies and Mallorn, and in the national press including The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, New Statesman, and The Times Literary Supplement.[2]

Reception

 
In The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Garth is critical of the theory that the Ring of Silvianus inspired Tolkien's Ring.[3]

Luke Shelton, editor of Mallorn, the journal of the Tolkien Society, called Tolkien and the Great War an excellent book on how the First World War might have shaped Tolkien's thought.[4] The Tolkien scholar Janet Brennan Croft, reviewing the same book for World Literature Today, wrote that Garth had ably portrayed Tolkien's early life with his close friends, using their own papers and their British Army company records. She found the first part of the book "somewhat leisurely", but the account of Tolkien's training and battlefield experience was "gripping".[5] Garth's biography of Tolkien in his war years influenced much Tolkien scholarship in the subsequent decades. By 2021, a reviewer was able to state that each of the 16 essays in a scholarly collection was responding to "Garth's seminal [work]".[6]

The Tolkien scholar Michael Foster, reviewing Tolkien at Exeter College for Mythlore, described it as "a very good thing indeed", even if small (at 64 pages), with "rare photographs" that revealed "a time of innocence, a time of confidences", and serving as a kind of prequel to Tolkien and the Great War.[7]

Reviewing The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Places that Inspired Middle-earth for Mythlore, Foster described the book as a "masterful study ... encyclopedic in its scope", combining details of Tolkien's life with Middle-earth. He admired the photographs as well as their scholarship and found "virtue" in the journalistic use of sidebars on background topics like Tolkien's debt to Anglo-Saxon cosmology or his mythology for England. He quotes Garth's account of the impact of Tolkien's "many trips to the trenches" in 1916, passing a crossroads where "a calvary had once stood .. at a tree-girt crossroads that the soldiers called Crucifix Corner. Similarly, en route to Mordor, Frodo and Sam see the old stone king at the Crossroads in Ithilien—his head knocked off by orcs yet still whole." Foster comments that "Thus the Somme was reborn as the most horrific geography of Middle-earth. It inspired the Dead Marshes, the Barrow-downs, and Morgul Vale."[8]

Awards and distinctions

Works

Garth has written many articles and book reviews in newspapers and magazines including The Guardian.[10] Some of his major works are listed below.

Books

Chapters

References

  1. ^ a b c d Garth, John. "About". John Garth. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  2. ^ Garth, John. "John Garth on Tolkien: publications: Biographical research, literary criticism, reviews and other articles". John Garth.
  3. ^ The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Appendix, pages 187–188
  4. ^ Shelton, Luke (8 March 2019). "The Best (and Worst) Books for Tolkien Biography". Luke Shelton. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  5. ^ Croft, Janet Brennan (2005). "[Review] Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth". World Literature Today. 79 (1 (January–April)): 93. doi:10.2307/40158819. JSTOR 40158819.
  6. ^ Hamby, James (2021). "Book Review: "Something Has Gone Crack": New Perspectives on J.R.R. Tolkien in the Great War" (PDF). Fafnir - Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research. 8 (1): 37–40. ISSN 2342-2009. reviewing Croft, Janet Brennan; Röttinger, Annika, eds. (2019). Something Has Gone Crack. Zurich: Walking Tree Publishers. ISBN 978-3-905703-41-2. OCLC 1121292764.
  7. ^ Foster, Mike (2015). "[Review] Tolkien at Exeter College: How an Oxford undergraduate Created Middle-Earth. John Garth". Mythlore. 33 (2).
  8. ^ Foster, Mike (2020). "[Review]: The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Places that Inspired Middle-earth". Mythlore. 39 (1 (Fall/Winter 2020)): 220–229.
  9. ^ "Previous Winners". The Tolkien Society. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  10. ^ "John Garth". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b Garth, John. "Welcome". John Garth.

External links

  • Official website

July 02, 2023
john, garth, author, john, garth, british, journalist, author, known, especially, writings, about, tolkien, including, biography, tolkien, great, book, places, that, inspired, middle, earth, worlds, tolkien, 2004, mythopoeic, award, scholarship, work, tolkien,. John Garth is a British journalist and author known especially for writings about J R R Tolkien including his biography Tolkien and the Great War and a book on the places that inspired Middle earth The Worlds of J R R Tolkien He won a 2004 Mythopoeic Award for Scholarship for his work on Tolkien 1 The biography influenced much Tolkien scholarship in the subsequent decades Contents 1 Biography 2 Reception 3 Awards and distinctions 4 Works 4 1 Books 4 2 Chapters 5 References 6 External linksBiography EditJohn Garth read English at St Anne s College Oxford He trained as a journalist and worked for 18 years in newspapers including the Evening Standard in London He then became a freelance author specialising in J R R Tolkien while continuing to contribute newspaper articles 1 Among his works of Tolkien scholarship are two monographs namely the 2003 Tolkien and the Great War The Threshold of Middle earth and the 2020 The Worlds of J R R Tolkien The Places that Inspired Middle earth His many articles and chapters on Tolkien include A Brief Biography in Wiley Blackwell s 2014 A Companion to J R R Tolkien and ten essays in Routledge s 2006 J R R Tolkien Encyclopedia Scholarship and Critical Assessment He has contributed articles and book reviews on Tolkien related subjects in the specialist journals Tolkien Studies and Mallorn and in the national press including The Guardian The Times The Daily Telegraph New Statesman and The Times Literary Supplement 2 Reception Edit In The Worlds of J R R Tolkien Garth is critical of the theory that the Ring of Silvianus inspired Tolkien s Ring 3 Luke Shelton editor of Mallorn the journal of the Tolkien Society called Tolkien and the Great War an excellent book on how the First World War might have shaped Tolkien s thought 4 The Tolkien scholar Janet Brennan Croft reviewing the same book for World Literature Today wrote that Garth had ably portrayed Tolkien s early life with his close friends using their own papers and their British Army company records She found the first part of the book somewhat leisurely but the account of Tolkien s training and battlefield experience was gripping 5 Garth s biography of Tolkien in his war years influenced much Tolkien scholarship in the subsequent decades By 2021 a reviewer was able to state that each of the 16 essays in a scholarly collection was responding to Garth s seminal work 6 The Tolkien scholar Michael Foster reviewing Tolkien at Exeter College for Mythlore described it as a very good thing indeed even if small at 64 pages with rare photographs that revealed a time of innocence a time of confidences and serving as a kind of prequel to Tolkien and the Great War 7 Reviewing The Worlds of J R R Tolkien The Places that Inspired Middle earth for Mythlore Foster described the book as a masterful study encyclopedic in its scope combining details of Tolkien s life with Middle earth He admired the photographs as well as their scholarship and found virtue in the journalistic use of sidebars on background topics like Tolkien s debt to Anglo Saxon cosmology or his mythology for England He quotes Garth s account of the impact of Tolkien s many trips to the trenches in 1916 passing a crossroads where a calvary had once stood at a tree girt crossroads that the soldiers called Crucifix Corner Similarly en route to Mordor Frodo and Sam see the old stone king at the Crossroads in Ithilien his head knocked off by orcs yet still whole Foster comments that Thus the Somme was reborn as the most horrific geography of Middle earth It inspired the Dead Marshes the Barrow downs and Morgul Vale 8 Awards and distinctions Edit2004 Mythopoeic Award for Scholarship 1 2015 Fellow in Humanistic Studies Black Mountain Institute University of Las Vegas 1 2014 2016 2017 The Tolkien Society Awards 2 best articles 1 outstanding contribution 9 Works EditGarth has written many articles and book reviews in newspapers and magazines including The Guardian 10 Some of his major works are listed below Books Edit 2003 Tolkien and the Great War The Threshold of Middle earth HarperCollins amp Houghton Mifflin The book has been translated into at least nine languages 11 2014 Tolkien at Exeter College How an Oxford undergraduate created Middle earth Exeter College 2020 The Worlds of J R R Tolkien The Places that Inspired Middle earth Frances Lincoln Publishers amp Princeton University Press The book has been translated into at least ten languages 11 Chapters Edit 2006 ten entries in the J R R Tolkien Encyclopedia Routledge ed Michael D C Drout 2014 A Brief Biography in A Companion to J R R Tolkien Wiley Blackwell ed Stuart D Lee 2014 The road from adaptation to invention How Tolkien came to the brink of Middle earth in 1914 in Tolkien Studies 11 2018 Tolkien and the Inklings in Tolkien Maker of Middle earth Bodleian Publishing ed Catherine McIlwaine 2019 Ilu s Music The Creation of Tolkien s Creation Myth in Sub creating Arda Walking Tree eds Dimitra Fimi Thomas Honegger References Edit a b c d Garth John About John Garth Retrieved 24 January 2021 Garth John John Garth on Tolkien publications Biographical research literary criticism reviews and other articles John Garth The Worlds of J R R Tolkien Appendix pages 187 188 Shelton Luke 8 March 2019 The Best and Worst Books for Tolkien Biography Luke Shelton Retrieved 24 January 2021 Croft Janet Brennan 2005 Review Tolkien and the Great War The Threshold of Middle earth World Literature Today 79 1 January April 93 doi 10 2307 40158819 JSTOR 40158819 Hamby James 2021 Book Review Something Has Gone Crack New Perspectives on J R R Tolkien in the Great War PDF Fafnir Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research 8 1 37 40 ISSN 2342 2009 reviewing Croft Janet Brennan Rottinger Annika eds 2019 Something Has Gone Crack Zurich Walking Tree Publishers ISBN 978 3 905703 41 2 OCLC 1121292764 Foster Mike 2015 Review Tolkien at Exeter College How an Oxford undergraduate Created Middle Earth John Garth Mythlore 33 2 Foster Mike 2020 Review The Worlds of J R R Tolkien The Places that Inspired Middle earth Mythlore 39 1 Fall Winter 2020 220 229 Previous Winners The Tolkien Society 29 October 2016 Retrieved 24 January 2021 John Garth The Guardian Retrieved 24 January 2021 a b Garth John Welcome John Garth External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Garth author amp oldid 1145122529, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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