Tolkien Passed Up for Nobel Prize

Published on by cslewisfoundation

Newly released documentation about the 1961’s Nobel Prize for Literature selection process was just released. Among the revelations: that C.S. Lewis nominated his friend and fellow Inkling, J.R.R. Tolkien, for The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien’s nomination was rejected by the committee, with one of the committee members stating that Tolkien’s prose “has not in any way measured up to storytelling of the highest quality.” Also rejected for consideration that year were Robert Frost and E.M. Forster.

Read more at The Guardian.

One thought on “Tolkien Passed Up for Nobel Prize”

  1. Don Skuce
    January 6, 2012

    The Nobel committee has done nothing but become progressively more political and, hence, irrelevant for decades. “Not……..the highest quality”? At least Tolkien was in good company in 1961.

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