J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was one of the iconic authors of my childhood, his
Lord of the Rings trilogy one of the first gay novels I ever read. I didn't even know what "gay" meant yet, but I knew about Sam carrying Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom, Merry and Pippin putting their beds next to Aragorn's, Gimili forsaking Middle Earth to follow Legolas to the Elven lands.
I didn't know anything about Tolkien himself, except that he was a scholar of Medieval literature from England. I assumed that he was gay, of course. What straight guy would evoke so many same-sex romances, and omit women, and desire for women, from Middle Earth?
Later I found out a few more details: he served in World War I, he was married to Edith throughout his life, he had four children, and he was a devout Roman Catholic (religion, too, was entirely absent from Middle Earth). On the other hand, he was deeply involved in an informal group called the Inklings, men (including C.S. Lewis) who got together to drink, dream of Medieval worlds, and form those strong quasi-homoerotic bonds of Oxford best boys.
I certainly don't want to see the movie
Tolkien (2019), which takes place before he even begins writing the novels and centers heterosexual romance as the great inspiration of his life. What's next, giving Oscar Wilde a great hetero-romance just because he was married to a woman?
So let's skip the details and see if
Tolkien has any gay characters or beefcake potential.
1. Nicholas Hoult (top photo) as good old John Ronald Reul himself.
2. Anthony Boyle (second photo) as Geoffrey Bache Smith, a childhood chum killed in the War.
3.Tom Glynn-Carney (left) as Christopher Wiseman,who invites Tolkien into his social group, his "fellowship," as it were.
4. Craig Roberts as Sam Hodges, a soldier Tolkien serves with, maybe Sam to his Frodo?
5. Patrick Gibson as Robert Gibson, a fellow artist killed in the War.
That's about it,unless you want to take a look at the uncredited Bargeman, Drunken Student #2, Rugby Spectator, and Moroccan Waiter.
See also:
The Lord of the Rings
