New Book from J.R.R. Tolkien Coming Soon
Now is a great time to be a lit nerd – this year we’ve seen new books from Harper Lee, Shirley Jackson, and Dr Seuss, and in a few weeks we’ll get a new book by J.R.R. Tolkien! Unlike the other new manuscripts, The Story of Kullervo has been printed before, but never on its own. This edition will contain the story as well as notes and commentary from Verlyn Flieger, “a specialist in comparative mythology with a concentration in J.R.R. Tolkien.” Hardcore Tolkienites (like yours truly) will be excited to learn that this edition will pair the story with Tolkien’s “drafts, notes and lecture-essays on its source-work, The Kalevala,” according to Amazon.
Tolkien wrote The Story of Kullervo while he was studying at Oxford, making it one of his earliest expeditions into Middle Earth. The story was inspired by The Kalevala, a significant work of Finnish epic poetry, and Tolkien continued to draw from Nordic mythology as he expanded his world. Fans of The Hobbit may be surprised at how dark this story sounds. The summary on Amazon:
Brought up in the homestead of the dark magician Untamo, who killed his father, kidnapped his mother, and who tries three times to kill him when still a boy, Kullervo is alone save for the love of his twin sister, Wanona, and guarded by the magical powers of the black dog, Musti. When Kullervo is sold into slavery he swears revenge on the magician, but he will learn that even at the point of vengeance there is no escape from the cruellest of fates.
It doesn’t exactly sound like a party, but Tolkien’s no stranger to darkness or sad endings (as anyone who has read The Silmarillion can attest). But Kullervo was never finished, so we can tack on a “happily ever after” even if Tolkien didn’t. No matter the ending, this story will be welcomed by die-hard Tolkienites, who can only re-read the Unfinished Tales and Farmer Giles of Ham so many times.
In Canada, a Kindle version of The Story of Kullervo will be available on August 27th with a hardcover edition to follow.
