Letter 141a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 141a
Recipient	P. H. Newby
Date	15 October 1953
Subject(s)	Recording excerpts from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Letter 141a is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Summary

In a letter to P. H. Newby of the BBC, Tolkien discusses his current health issues, including laryngitis, lumbago, and sciatica, which have left him largely immobilized. Despite his ailments, Tolkien expresses his hope to participate in the scheduled rehearsal and recording sessions for a BBC production, though he cautions that his condition may render this impossible.

He mentions having drafted the introductory remarks but notes the challenge of condensing them to fit a five-minute timeframe. Tolkien also confirms a later date, December 3, for recording the concluding talk.