Tolkien slept here

[wellinghall]

"Biographer Joseph Pearce says the famous South African poet Roy Campbell saw the Spanish Civil War as a religious conflict between Christianity and atheistic modernism.

In a recent interview with CNA, Pearce said Campbell – who was the inspiration behind the character Aragorn in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings – believes 'the war in Spain was a battle between Christian tradition and atheistic modernism. In other words, he saw it as a religious conflict.'"

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/spanish-civil-war-seen-as-religious-conflict-biographer-says/

Comments

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Yep!

[scribblerworks.livejournal.com]

Is there a comment somewhere by JRRT that Campbell was an influence on the character of Aragorn? I haven't read all of the History of Middle-earth, so I don't know if there's something like that lurking about. But really?

And who is making the assertion? Pearce or the article writer?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I don't recall any such mention by Tolkien, but I haven't checked the HoMe index. Pearce talks about Campbell at some length in Tolkien: Man and Myth, but doesn't link him with Aragorn.

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

I've left Campbell out of my book as I decided that meeting was a bit late to really be an inspiration. Others obviously think differently!

Also, I took the same view as Jason!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I am looking forward to reading your book! :-)

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Any idea how much longer we need to wait ... ?

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

I should receive a decision within the week. The plan is for a launch the week before ROTR because Ted would be able to attend but nothing's definite at the moment.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I shall keep my fingers crossed!

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[dreiviertel.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! Didn't Tolkien meet Campbell once?
(after doing some digging) It's in Letter 83, and 1944 was mercifully too late for him to have much impact on the character of Aragorn. I thought the description in the letter pretty much states that it was the other way round.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the reference!