The historian Tom Holland has made a series of interesting tweets recently. The author of Persian Fire, Rubicon, Millennium, Dynasty, and Athelstan, seems to have a new project, which may be quite interesting Tolkien fans. As many Tolkien fans may not be on twitter, his tweets are summarised below.
His first tweet: “I finish Lord Of The Rings. What a strange & powerful achievement it is: the foundational work of a whole new genre; a brilliant reworking of early medieval literature; a moving work of Christian apologetics; and a dark & at times Orwellian meditation on 20th century history.”
When questioned he expanded a little: “It has a starring role in my next book”.
He wouldn’t give any more information about his new book when pressed. When questioned he said he’d read The Lord of the Rings several times as a child, but the implication was that this was the first time he’d read it as an adult, and from the viewpoint of an historian.
It should be an interesting read.
Tom Holland has spoken briefly about The Lord of the Rings on a previous occasion here
The Tolkien Society will keep you informed of news on Holland’s new book as and when it becomes available.
