Taken directly from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/books/footnote.html?_r=3&

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced on Sunday that it had acquired the United States rights to publish a previously unknown work by J. R. R. Tolkien, “The Fall of Arthur.” The book, set for publication in May, chronicles the last days of King Arthur and will be edited by Tolkien’s son Christopher, who will also provide commentary and notes. Tolkien, the author of “The Lord of the Rings,” died in 1973. This is the first new work by him to be unearthed since “The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun” was released in 2009.

Me neither - my favourite author and my favourite legend combined. Exciting news. ;D

Count me as another person who sees that as a dream come true. I'd read about that poem in Humphrey Carpenter's biography of Tolkien, and ever since, wanted to read it.

(Carpenter's biography reveals, incidentally, that Tolkien portrayed Guinevere in a bad light in the poem - maybe influenced by Layamon's "Brut".

I’ll admit to some misgivings when I heard about that. Tolkien’s poems are not exactly what I like best about his work.* However, he did have a bit of a knack for alliterative verse, and there was this article in the Guardian, with a short excerpt: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/oct/09/jrr-tolkien-new-poem-king-arthur

Of course I’m going to take a look at it.




* The funny poem about the cat on the mat was great, though.

I know what you mean - if it reassembled the elf songs in The Hobbit I'd scream! As you, however, his alliterative verse is verse good, once you realise how it works. Very challenging to write I'd have thought. Enjoyed the snippets in the article you linked to.

Wow! Huge Tolkien fan, had no idea he did anything Arthurian.


T.

Wow! Huge Tolkien fan, had no idea he did anything Arthurian.


T.


If that's the case, you don't have to wait - there's always his translation of Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight to enjoy in the meantime: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Gawain-Green-Knight-Pearl/dp/0261102591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350976037&sr=8-1

If that's the case, you don't have to wait - there's always his translation of Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight to enjoy in the meantime: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Gawain-Green-Knight-Pearl/dp/0261102591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350976037&sr=8-1

Thanks, Morien. I should have said "I didn't know Tolkien did an original Arthurian work..."


Best,


T.

at the risk of sounding like a simpleton ...LOL...i am NOt as excited . :) I find Tolkiens ideas amazing. i find his writing style Tedious as crap! hahahahah SO...i feel that he will be writing the death of arthur as if killing him slowly and painfully with liberal use of torture!! hahahahahahaahh