JRR Tolkien’s first prose to be published

The first prose piece by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien is to be published in Britain on Thursday, August 27, a version of an epic Finnish poem that experts describe as “undeniably his darkest work.”  Written in 1914-1915 when Tolkien was still a student at the University of Oxford, “The Story of Kullervo” shows the young author “finding his feet,” Vincent Ferre, professor of comparative literature at University Paris Est-Créteil told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Fascinated by ancient languages from a young age, Tolkien was taken by the 19th century work of epic poetry, Kalevala, a compilation of mythology and folklore which tells the story of Kullervo. The story is “the first time that JRR Tolkien, who had been a poet until then, began writing prose,” Ferre, a Tolkien expert, said. 

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