Tolkien Gleanings #379
* The Catholic Truth Society has a new book in its series of short biographies, A Light from the Shadows: The Spiritual Heart of J.R.R. Tolkien (2026). Listed on Amazon UK and probably other Amazon sites, but oddly there’s no description given there. Tracking the book down to the Society’s website, one reads… “This is not a biography of J.R.R. Tolkien”. Ah. The description continues…
Although it contains many biographical details, A Light from the Shadows is primarily a commentary on the distinctly Catholic framework of Tolkien’s writings – shaped by his experiences as a scholar, army officer, husband, and father. Each of these aspects of his life helps to unlock his unique perspective on his own work.
* The German Tolkien Society is planning a conference on ‘Environment, the World Around Us, and the Connatural World in Tolkien’s Works’, and they are calling for papers. The word “connatural” originates in the German anti-capitalism book Revolution for Nature (1990), and is a clunky neologism which appears to simply indicate ‘wild nature’ outside of human influence. The conference is set for 16th-18th October 2026, and the deadline for papers is 31st May 2026. Note also the attendance scholarship on offer to one “early career researcher in the field of Tolkien studies”.
* The open-access Scandia: Journal of Medieval Norse Studies is calling for papers for a forthcoming issue on the uses of Vikings and Norse Myths in Post-Medieval Reception. Deadline: 15th September 2026. Note also their announcement/call for a forthcoming Scandia monograph series.
* In the current 2025 issue of Scandia: Journal of Medieval Norse Studies, the new translation “Entre o legendario de Tolkien e as lendas do Norte: King Sheave (Rei Sheave), de J.R.R. Tolkien, 1936-1937” (‘Between Tolkien’s Legendarium and the Legends of the North: King Sheave, by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1936-1937’).
* Christianity Today suggests that part of a Holly Ordway book could be used in a church sermon, in “Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Received Brutal Criticisms” ($ paywall)…
One early reviewer dismissed it as “an allegorical adventure story for very leisured boys.” This critic sarcastically said that we should all take to the streets proclaiming “Adults of all ages! Unite against the infantalist invasion.” Another critic declared it “juvenile trash.” In 1961, a third critic called it “ill-written” and “childish” and declared, not a little prematurely that it had already “passed into a merciful oblivion.”
Twenty years later, another critic, was hopeful that Tolkien’s “cult status is diminishing.” This critic also argued that Tolkien’s popularity is due to class distinctions. The intelligent “bookish class” doesn’t read Lord of the Rings. Instead, only lower-class people read it — those “to whom a long read does not come altogether easily.”
* A new £85 academic book on the vexed topic of Reading Length in Fantasy Fiction, set for release in mid March 2026.
* On Landscape, the magazine for landscape photographers, this week goes “Walking with Tolkien” in Switzerland. Freely available online.
* New on YouTube, Malcolm Guite (former Chaplain at and now Life Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge) reads from “The Grey Havens”.
* The Spanish Tolkien Society brings news of A Light in the Darkness, a “music based” biographical documentary that quietly premiered in Wales in 2025. Apparently it…
“examines the impact of the Battle of the Somme on the young Tolkien’s life and how this period influenced his personal and creative development. The musical also dedicates a significant part to his friendship with C.S. Lewis and the influence that Tolkien had on his intellectual journey, an element that the musical employs as one of its narrative pivots”.
Nothing more can be found about the under that title or ‘Una Luz en la Oscuridad’. Could be a film, could be stage musical, or a film of a stage musical?
* And finally, a new cover-preview of Stonefoot, which promises to be an upcoming graphic-novel telling of the tale of Durin.
