By T.K. Wilson
Today, we in the creative world raise our glasses and think of a faithful, unsung hero of the literary world- Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Christopher was born November 21, 1924 in Leeds to Edith and John Tolkien. From a young age, the boy had an aptitude for remembering the complexities of his father’s work, once stopping storytime (where The Hobbit was being read aloud) to correct his father on a few minor points. His father’s famous response? “D–n the boy.” Christopher, still only a boy, was later paid to correct The Hobbit, twopence a correction, which was a lot of money back then!
This love of detail would lead to Christopher excelling at school, despite being out and under tutors for a time due to a heart ailment. He was also a gifted cartographer, redrawing the maps of Middle Earth for publication. During World War Two, he was drafted into the RAF and sent to pilot school in South Africa, and even there, he would help his father with editing Lord of the Rings for publication. After the war, Christopher went back to Oxford, where he was made a permanent member of The Inklings. Attending Trinity College, and under the tutelage of C.S. Lewis, he graduated and spent his time translating the great works of English literature.
After his father’s death in 1973, Christopher was given the monumental task of sorting his father’s papers for publication, a task that ultimately lasted the rest of his life. Working all those years, he proved himself faithful to the task given to him, and left a legacy of his own.
With Christopher as our example, let us show ourselves faithful to our tasks, no matter how small.
Sources:
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Christopher_Tolkien
https://www.1517.org/articles/unsung-inklings-christopher-tolkien
LogoSophia Magazine 