Nobel Jury Rejected Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' in 1961 for Poor Prose

Back in 1961, J.R.R. Tolkien's epic 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy didn't get the recognition it deserved from the Nobel Prize in Literature committee. One of the jurors, Anders Österling, felt that Tolkien's work didn't quite reach the pinnacle of storytelling. This finding came to light thanks to Swedish journalist Andreas Ekström, who was digging through the Nobel archives from that time. The committee passed over several prominent authors, including Lawrence Durrell, Robert Frost, Graham Greene, and E.M. Forster, ultimately awarding the prize to Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić. Notably, Tolkien's good friend C.S. Lewis had pushed for his nomination. The trilogy stirred mixed reviews upon its 1950s debut, with critics like Edmund Wilson questioning Tolkien's style, while admirers like W.H. Auden praised its creativity. The archives were kept under wraps for 50 years, which is why we’re only learning about this now.