The story of Kullervo / by J.R.R. Tolkien ; edited by Verlyn Flieger.
| Author/creator | Tolkien, J. R. R. author. |
| Other author | Flieger, Verlyn, 1933- editor. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Boston : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2015] |
| Copyright Date | ©2015 |
| Description | xxiii, 168 pages : facsimiles ; 21 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | List of plates -- Foreword -- Introduction -- The story of Kullervo -- List of names -- Draft plot synopses. Notes and commentary -- Introduction to the essays -- On "The Kalevala" or Land of heroes. Notes and commentary -- The Kalevala. Notes and commentary -- Tolkien, Kalevala, and "The story of Kullervo" / by Verlyn Flieger -- Bibliography. |
| Abstract | "The first publication of a previously unknown work of fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien. Kullervo, son of Kalervo, is perhaps the darkest and most tragic of all J.R.R. Tolkien's characters. "Hapless Kullervo," as Tolkien called him, is a luckless orphan boy with supernatural powers and a tragic destiny. Brought up in the homestead of the dark magician Untamo, who killed his father, kidnapped his mother, and tried three times to kill him when he was still a boy, Kullervo is alone save for the love of his twin sister, Wanona, and the magical powers of the black dog Musti, who guards him. When Kullervo is sold into slavery he swears revenge on the magician, but he will learn that even at the point of vengeance there is no escape from the cruelest of fates. Tolkien himself said that The Story of Kullervo was "the germ of my attempt to write legends of my own," and was "a major matter in the legends of the First Age." Tolkien's Kullervo is the clear ancestor of Turin Turambar, tragic incestuous hero of The Silmarillion. Published here for the first time with the author's drafts, notes, and lecture essays on its source work, the Kalevala, The Story of Kullervo is a foundation stone in the structure of Tolkien's invented world."-- Provided by publisher. |
| Local note | Joyner Schlobin Coll.: See also manuscript material related to the James H. and Virginia Schlobin Literature of the Fantastic Collection. Ask in Joyner Library Special Collections. |
| General note | Tolkien's Story is based on the Kullervo cycle in the Karelian and Finnish epic poem Kalevala. It first appeared in 2010 in Tolkien Studies (Volume VII / edited by Douglas A. Anderson, Michael D.C. Drout, Verlyn Flieger; Morgantown, W. Va. : West Virginia University Press) and was republished in August 2015 by HarperCollins (London). |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-168). |
| Acquisitions source | Joyner Schlobin Coll. item purchased from Amazon 20250319 |
| Genre/form | Fantasy fiction. |
| Genre/form | Criticism, interpretation, etc. |
| Genre/form | Fiction. |
| Genre/form | Fantasy fiction. |
| Genre/form | Adaptations. |
| Genre/form | Fantasy fiction. |
| Other title | Based on (work): Kalevala. |
| LCCN | 2015042718 |
| ISBN | 9780544947245 (paperback) |
| ISBN | 054494724X (paperback) |
| ISBN | 9780544706262 (hardback) |
| ISBN | 0544706269 (hardback) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | Schlobin Fantasy Collection | PR6039.O32 S86 2015 | ✔ Available | Request Material |