If I could talk to J.R.R. Tolkien

My assignment for class this week was an interesting one. If you could talk to any author, living or dead, for ten minutes, what three questions would you ask him or her?

Since I am now obsessed with The Hobbit, I chose J.R.R. Tolkien.

J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973. Given the opportunity to ask him three questions, these are the three I would ask.

1. In an interview on BBC Radio 4 in 1971 you said that “I always in writing start with a name. Give me a name and it produces a story, not the other way about normally.” I find this the opposite of how I do things and I wonder where you get your names from. I often have a difficult time coming up with names for my characters that fit them.

2. You made up a whole world inside your head, and you even drew maps. With this whole world inside your head filled with amazing characters, did you ever find yourself choosing the company of the people in your head over the ones you were with in reality?

3. Are you pleased with the movies that have been made from your books? I wanted to know if the vision on the screen matched the vision in your head.

Tolkien, J.R.R Interview by Dennis Gerrolt. Now Read On. BBC. BBC Radio 4, Jan. 1971.

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