{"product_id":"tolkien-s-faith-a-spiritual-biography","title":"Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eTolkien described \u003cem\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/em\u003e as “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work” and declared, “I am a Christian (which can be deduced from my stories).” Yet he insisted his writings were not allegories, and Middle-earth is loved by millions who do not share his religious beliefs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHow were his faith and his fiction related? Holly Ordway answers that question biographically, focusing on Tolkien’s spiritual development, a dramatic story that previous accounts of his life have left largely unexplored. \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHere we find that Tolkien’s faith was hard won. His Anglican upbringing was overturned when his mother converted to Catholicism. Soon afterward, she died, leaving Tolkien under the guardianship of a Catholic priest, who forbade him to see his Protestant girlfriend, whom nonetheless he eventually married. The Great War, in which most of his close friends were killed, deepened Tolkien’s reliance on his faith, but then for a decade he “almost ceased to practise” his religion. Friendship with C.S. Lewis and success with \u003cem\u003eThe Hobbit\u003c\/em\u003e were followed by another war and by turmoil in the Church that sternly tested Tolkien’s commitments. \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe challenges and triumphs in his religious life are reflected in his masterpiece, \u003cem\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/em\u003e, that epic tale of endurance against the odds. As Ordway shows in her expertly researched and richly illustrated study, Tolkien’s faith and Tolkien’s fiction are intimately related, though in subtle and complex ways. This long-overdue spiritual biography gives new insight into his works by shedding fresh light on their author’s deepest-held convictions\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Word on Fire","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53285302305065,"sku":null,"price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0931\/1076\/3817\/files\/C9F4A15B-4200-45ED-98F4-4C94B5EEC16B.webp?v=1782238906","url":"https:\/\/littleflowercatholicshop.myshopify.com\/products\/tolkien-s-faith-a-spiritual-biography","provider":"Little Flower Catholic Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}