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JRR Tolkien: 'I Never Expected a Money Success'

posted by cmn32480 on Wednesday October 28 2015, @10:46PM   
from the one-ring-to-rule-them-all dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

"I never expected a money success," said Tolkien, pacing the room, as he does constantly when he speaks. "In fact, I never even thought of commercial publication when I wrote The Hobbit back in the Thirties.

"It all began when I was reading exam papers to earn a bit of extra money. That was agony. One of the tragedies of the underpaid professor is that he has to do menial jobs. He is expected to maintain a certain position and to send his children to good schools. Well, one day I came to a blank page in an exam book and I scribbled on it. 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

The piece is a pleasant read about the greatest fantasy writer of all time.

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Original Submission

• Re:Run for the hills! Or the shire! Or something! Re:Run for the hills! Or the shire! Or something! (Score: 3, Funny) by arslan on Thursday October 29 2015, @12:49AM

  by arslan (3462) on Thursday October 29 2015, @12:49AM (#255830)

  Comic book guy: I believe the correct term is wraith

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+1
  Funny=1, Total=1
  Extra 'Funny' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		3

• Re:Run for the hills! Or the shire! Or something! Re:Run for the hills! Or the shire! Or something! (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @06:43AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @06:43AM (#255913)

  Oh, I think Barrow-wight has nice ring to it too...

  Parent

  • Re:Run for the hills! Or the shire! Or something! (Score: 3, Funny) by ticho on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:43AM

    by ticho (89) on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:43AM (#255936) Homepage Journal

    Barrow-wight saved my life.

    Parent