The Meaning of Life and Other Vegetables

Hello everyone.

This is going to be a relatively short post; just to express my opinion on a wonderful book that might be not as well-known as it should be, and maybe get someone excited about reading it.

Many are familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien‘s popular The Lord of the Rings saga and its prequel The Hobbit. I read The Hobbit as a kid, and The Lord of the Rings as a teenager. However, I think that Tolkien’s greatest book is actually The Silmarillion, which I first read in my 20s, and a few more times since (which, as I mentioned earlier, is unusual for me).

The Silmarillion – as a book – was not published by Tolkien, although it’s published under his name. It was first published in 1977, after Tolkien’s death (in 1973), and most of the raw material for it was indeed written by J. R. R. Tolkien. The book, as we know it, however, was completed and published by his son, Christopher, allegedly in line with the father’s vision. The son’s work included editing, reconciling some of the plot, and even filling in some story gaps. The body of work J. R. R. Tolkien named “The Silmarillion” consists of many mutually-related different stories / arcs, and since he never completed the work as intended (apparently, he edited and re-edited it over many years, up to his passing), there were still some apparent inconsistencies and gaps in the estate. Christopher Tolkien set out to edit and complete the work so that it could be published, and in my opinion he did a good job (despite what some critics say).

The Silmarillion is a mythology; meaning that it includes stories about how the world was created, about what transcendent forces govern and shape it, about good and evil, and about how the world came to be “as we know it now” (obviously, all that relates to the Tolkien universe, the one The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place in). That kind of stuff…

It tells how the world was sung into being (as an amateur musician, and an obsessive-compulsive music consumer, I love that idea*). It tells about tragic heroes and villains. It tells about monsters and magic, mortals and immortals, battles and lore, and best of all (in my opinion) – how what goes around comes around, even if it takes centuries. Anyone who ever read anything from Tolkien can probably imagine what I’m talking about.

What I like most about The Silmarillion is the diversity, breadth and time-span of the stories. It is a wonderful, intricate weave of times, characters, places and circumstances. Get ready to be immersed in great fantasy, Tolkien-family style.

Peace to all.

*) If you are also into music, and believe in its power and importance in this world, you might be interested in reading this (the title is controversial but the argument made is actually the opposite to it, so don’t go by the title).