[On the time J.R.R. Tolkien refused to work with Nazi-leaning publishers.] This week marks the 130th birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings writer, academic, and pranking enthusiast —and today we’re revisiting a time Tolkien stood up for his beliefs against his best business interests. In 1938, Tolkien was in negotiations with Berlin publisher Rütten & Loening about creating a German-language edition of The Hobbit; that is, until they asked for proof of Tolkien’s “Aryan descent,” due to Goebbels’ regulations on Jews’ participation n German cultural activities. Tolkien objected, writing to his British publisher Stanley Unwin:...
Monitoring Antisemitism Intel
