The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, Together with Corrigan Poems

Tolkien, J R R; Flieger, Verlyn (editor); Tolkien, Christopher (notes)

ISBN 10: 0008202133 / ISBN 13: 9780008202132

Published by HarperCollins, London, UK, 2016

First edition, first printing. xxii, 106pp, with colour plate frontispiece and five further plate illustrations. Blue cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering on the spine. Tan endpapers. 8vo. Volume is neat, clean, bright and tight throughout. The original, illustrated, dust wrapper has some very gentle shelf wear and a tiny white spot on the front panel. Aotrou and Itroun is a J R R Tolkien poem modelled on the Breton Lay genre popular in Middle English literature of the 12th century. It explores chivalric values and its tensions with Christianity particularly regarding the institution of marriage. Tolkien's poem was first published in The Welsh Review at the end of the Second World War in 1945. Having been largely unavailable for decades it was first published in book form by HarperCollins in 2016. Seller Inventory # 033235

Synopsis:

Coming from the darker side of J.R.R. Tolkien's imagination, "The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun" is an important non Middle-earth work to set alongside his other retellings of existing myth and legend, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, The Fall of Arthur and The Story of Kullervo.

Unavailable for more than 70 years, this early but important work is published for the first time with Tolkien's 'Corrigan' poems and other supporting material, including a prefatory note by Christopher Tolkien.

Set 'In Britain's land beyond the seas' during the Age of Chivalry, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun tells of a childless Breton Lord and Lady (the 'Aotrou' and 'Itroun' of the title) and the tragedy that befalls them when Aotrou seeks to remedy their situation with the aid of a magic potion obtained from a corrigan, or malevolent fairy. When the potion succeeds and Itroun bears twins, the corrigan returns seeking her fee, and Aotrou is forced to choose between betraying his marriage and losing his life.

Coming from the darker side of J.R.R. Tolkien's imagination, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, together with the two shorter 'Corrigan' poems that lead up to it and which are also included, was the outcome of a comparatively short but intense period in Tolkien's life when he was deeply engaged with Celtic, and particularly Breton, myth and legend.

Originally written in 1930 and long out of print, this early but seminal work is an important addition to the non-Middle-earth portion of his canon and should be set alongside Tolkien's other retellings of myth and legend, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, The Fall of Arthur and The Story of Kullervo. Like these works, it belongs to a small but important corpus of his ventures into 'real-world' mythologies, each of which in its own way would be a formative influence on his own legendarium.

About the Author: J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 60 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, Together with ...
Publisher: HarperCollins, London, UK
Publication Date: 2016
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Near Fine
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st Edition.