archduchess-sophie:

favourite authors (1/?):   john ronald reuel tolkien

spiders,” observed professor jrr tolkien, cradling the word with the same affection that he cradled the pipe in his hand, “are the particular terror of northern imaginations.” the professor, now 76, is the author of the hobbit and of the three-volume epic fairy-tale, the lord of the rings, the slowest-developing bestseller in modern publishing history. (…)

tolkien, who describes himself as “tubby”, has grey eyes, firm tanned skin, silvery hair and quick decisive speech. he might have been, 50 years ago, the model of the kindly country squire. any hobbit would trust this man, any dragon quail before him, any elf name him friend. effortlessly, he compels you to admire him as much as – and herein lies his charm – he clearly admires himself.

the telegraph magazine, march 22. 1968