Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien

Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Smith of Wooton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Leaf by Niggle, Roverandom

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Tales was first published in one volume in Hungarian in 2000  by  Sukits Publishing (since then they were also published with illustrations by Alan Lee by Partvonal Publishing in 2020, but it contains the Roverandom instead of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil as the fourth tale). The stories have already been published in separate volumes, as well.

In addition to the world known from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (Tom Bombadil), vibes of Medieval English legends come to life here. We meet a dragon who is greedy but swears on anything just to save his skin, even dares to help a human. Master Niggle fears that he cannot finish his painting, just as Tolkien did, he felt he could not finish The Lord of the Rings in time. Then the Smith Wooton Major finds Fairyland. This story was born after the author’s retirement, out of anxiety about aging and the future, it shows that everyone can find their own fairyland, all they must do is persevere.

The tale of Roverandom is interesting because Tolkien first told this to his children in the evenings as bedtime stories (his sons are also featured in it), furthermore, the first ideas of his later great works also appear in here.