40 Minute Tolkien Interview – 1965

In 1965, Tolkien was interviewed by Denis Gueroult about the sub-creation of The Lord of the Rings.

John Rateliff, the author of The History of the Hobbit, wrote the following on the interview:

“I think this is by far the best interview Tolkien ever gave. It’s one of only two that extends to a good length . . . and the only one in which the interviewer had both done his homework and clearly carefully prepared for the interview. Just as importantly, Gueroult was not been content with extracting from Tolkien a few disconnected soundbite but asked follow-up questions and pressed Tolkien to expand upon his answers. Would that we had a half-dozen interviews like this. Instead we have only one, but what a treasure it is. It’s rare that I write any article on Tolkien in which I do not quote from this interview at some point.”

You can listen to the interview here.

Thanks to Andrew for suggesting this interview should be shared on LOTRO Players.