Forty five years ago today, J.R.R. Tolkien went to the Undying Lands. One of my all time favourite authors, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, one of the two or three greatest Catholic writers of the century, and the greatest fantasy writer of all time, he was also an unashamedly Traditional Catholic.His son related that when the Novus Ordo Mass was introduced in England, he would make the 'proper' Latin responses, not sotto voce, but in a loud voice! He told his son, Christopher, that he should commit the Roman Canon to memory, in Latin, because it was the greatest piece of Latin prose ever written.
The story of his courtship and marriage is too long to relate here, but I recommend reading it in any biographical article.
He served in the Lancashire Fusiliers and fought at the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in human history. By the end of the War, all but one of his closest friends were dead.
He survived, becoming a professor of English and an expert on early Germanic languages including Anglo-Saxon. He went on to write The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), and The Silmarillion, as well as numerous other tales, academic works, and The Father Christmas Letters for his children when they were young.
May his soul rest in peace and may light perpetual shine upon him. Memory Eternal!
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