All tagged Tolkien's Letters

Beyond The Lord of the Rings: Getting to Know Tolkien through his Shorter Works

While The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings stand out as his most influential works, there is so much more to Tolkien than hobbits, dwarves, and elves! His lesser-known shorter works, including letters, essays, poetry, and short stories, offer a unique glimpse into the way he understood myth, faith, literature, and life. Many of these can be read over the course of an afternoon, and all are thoroughly delightful. If you’re interested in reading more by Tolkien, but don’t have the time to settle into The Lord of the Rings — consider picking up one of these.

Evil Labours in Vain: Tolkien on Suffering, Hope, and God's Plan (Letter 64)

I was reading through some of Tolkien’s letters this evening (compiled and available here) and I was so moved by this passage that I thought I’d share it with all of you. One sentence in particular stood out to me the most, “All we do know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, is that evil labours with vast power and perpetual success --in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.” That is such an encouragement to my weary soul, and I hope it is for you, too.