The Silmarillion

ISBN: 9780618135042

作者: Christopher Tolkien

出版社: Houghton Mifflin

出版年: 2001-4

页数: 384

定价: 221.00元

装帧: HRD

内容简介

A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, THE SILMARILLION is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work that he could not publish in his lifetime because it grew with him. Its origins stretch back to a time long before THE HOBBIT. But THE HOBBIT was caught up in what Tolkien called "the branching acquisitive theme" he began in THE SILMARILLION, and eventually THE LORD OF THE RINGS emerged from this as well. Tolkien considered THE SILMARILLION his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other works. This is the story of the creation of the world and the happenings of the First Age, the ancient drama to which the characters in THE LORD OF THE RINGS look back and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, the most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor lived on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown, which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. THE SILMARILLION is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy. The book includes several other, shorter works in addition to THE SILMARILLION. Preceding it are "The Ainulindale," a myth of the Creation, and "The Valaquenta," in which the nature and power of the gods is set forth. After THE SILMARILLION comes "The Akallabeth," a tale of the downfall of the kingdom of Numeno, and finally "Of the Rings of Power," the connecting link to THE LORD OF THE RINGS. This second edition features a number of minor textual corrections along with a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien describing his intentions for the work, written more than twenty-five years before its eventual publication. As described by Christopher Tolkien in the preface, it serves as a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages of Middle-earth.

作者简介

英国作家。1892年生于南非。3岁时随母回英国，在英国长大。在母亲的影响下，他从小喜爱儿童文学作品。1915年以一流成绩毕业于牛津大学。他毕业后曾在第一次世界大战中服役。后来他到利兹大学任教，之后又回到牛津大家（1925年），担任英国语言与文学教授职务，成为该校最年轻的教授之一，并开始儿童文学创作。他任该职直至1959年退休。1973年，托尔金病逝于英国波茅斯。

作为教授和学者，托尔金在盎格鲁-撒克逊中古英雄传奇研究领域颇有学术建树；另一方面，他又是一位学者型的作家。他创作散文、诗歌，还写过一部剧本。而真正使他为人所知的则是他奇妙、独特的小说创作。他为儿童写了一些“晚安故事”。

1937年托尔金发表了成名作《矮人国》（又译为《小矮人历险记》、《霍比特》），并亲自为该书插画。这部童话根据北欧古老的神话和传说写成。霍比特人是一种极其矮小的人，他们的生活受到其他国家的威胁。作者借用霍比特人岌岌可危的处境影射第一次世界大战后英国每况愈下的境况，同时通过矮人徒然的抗争抨击了传统的个人英雄主义的荒谬性。该作品出版后深受欢迎，被译为二十多种文字，是一本现代儿童文学经典之作。该书在美国被改编为电视动画片。托尔金的另一部重要作品是以中世纪为背景的三部曲《指环王》（又译为《魔戒》、《魔戒之王》），已被好莱坞拍成电影大片。前者可以看作后者的一个序曲，都是以霍比特人为主人公的。所谓“霍比特”，是指生活在地穴中的一种善良的小矮人。该书不是为儿童创作的，但书中展示了一个奇妙的新世界，结构奇特，充满令人信服的比喻，孩子们把它视为已有。该书在美国的影响超过了英国，许多少年把它奉为圣书。这部巨著用九种语言发行了三百多万册。

托尔金的作品，情节错综复杂，语言流畅幽默，在欧美畅销不衰。虽然在他的世界里人类是被置于微不足道的边缘，但善与恶的较量，善最终战胜恶而使宇宙得到和谐这一主题仍然是人类的美好愿望。

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