With the death of JRR Tolkien on September 2, 1973, a publication history began that is second to none: The sheer number of book pages published posthumously since then by Tolkien far exceeds that of those published during his lifetime.
The “Hobbit” from 1937 and the “Lord of the Rings” (1954/55) are contrasted with the “Silmarillion” and the huge work “The History of Middle-earth”, which like numerous other posthumous Tolkien books by the author's third son , Christopher Tolkien, compiled partly from an apparently rather confusing bundle in the estate.
Tilman Spreckelsen
Editor in the features section.
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What came to light broadened the reader's view of the extensive myth that Tolkien assumed in "The Lord of the Rings" and to which he alluded, but whose dimensions could only be guessed at in the appendix to the novel.
The two earlier ages came to the “Third Age” of Middle-earth, that of the War of the Ring, but in many ways they prepared the events of the novel.
In accordance with its heterogeneous origin, this material is of different accessibility - the chronological or sometimes tabular passages contained therein are not pure reading pleasure, while other stories - such as those of the children of Húrin or the case of Gondolins - have their own charm in their narrative style.
Christopher Tolkien died almost two years ago, on January 16, 2020. This autumn it became clear that the estate editions will continue anyway: edited by the American Tolkien expert Carl F. Hostetter, the volume “Natur und Wesen von Mittelerde” was published, which bundles very different, mostly manageable short texts that answer questions dedicate such as death and rebirth (a surprisingly beautiful vision of personal continuation in ever new bodies), fate and free will with the Elves or the relationship between "fea", the spirit, to "hroa", the body - just as if wanted Tolkien can use it to clarify certain aspects of his own giant creation. Some of it is related to the texts that were published in "The History of Middle-earth",some of the contributions from the new volume were even planned there, but were not included due to lack of space. A considerable part of this text can be found on the backs of all kinds of paper that Tolkien had on hand: from diary sheets to publisher's notes, in ink, pencil, ballpoint pen or various writing tools, with deletions and footnotes.
Anyone who works with this material must be clear about who the finished book is aimed at, according to which editorial principles the decisions are made and how selection is made from the rich archive holdings.
Hostetter takes a middle ground: It is clear that nobody can do anything with the band who is not somewhat familiar with Tolkien's cosmos.
The editor does not dwell on explanations of the content of the basics, and in addition to a good knowledge of "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings", familiarity with the "Silmarillion" is helpful when reading this volume.
At the same time, however, Hostetter endeavors to present the individual texts recorded here as accessible as possible, i.e. introduced, edited and shortened where it makes sense to him.
Tolkien as a draftsman
One focus is, certainly also in the interests of the author, on linguistic considerations, which of course often expand to represent the underlying relationships. Everything that underlines the impression that a creator of the world is at work here, who tries, checks and rejects or replaces one guess with another, more plausible one, is not inconsistent. At the same time, this world is not only subject to Tolkien's view of it, but is also subject to change in itself. Elves and orcs alike make their experiences and draw their conclusions from them, for example, about what affects their respective settlement movements.
The richly presented notes, explanations and elaborated lengthy texts are not Tolkien's only means of exploring this world. A new edition of the "Lord of the Rings" now brings together a series of works by Tolkien, in which he illustrates his work - for himself and for others. For a long time it has been possible to get an idea of his talent as a filigree draftsman and abstract, sometimes downright bold illustrator through various publications (Tolkien himself was usually overly critical of these works).
Here they appeared - finished and lovingly colored or sketched - integrated into the one-volume edition in excellent print quality.
Most impressive is the fold-out panel with Tolkien's drawing of the book found on Balin's tomb - three damaged pages in runic writing.
Tolkien devoted the greatest care, it appears, to depicting destruction.
And so also the preservation of what could still be saved.
JRR Tolkien: "Nature and Beings of Middle-earth".
Edited by Carl F. Hostetter.
Translated from the English by Helmut W. Pesch and Susanne Held.
Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2021. 720 pp., Hardcover, € 28.