Letter 347a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 347a
Recipient	Trudi Rowe Crilley
Date	Not dated; probably January 1973
Subject(s)	Tolkien's former residences

Letter 347a is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Summary

Tolkien responds to an inquiry regarding his residence history, particularly in Sparkhill, Birmingham. Tolkien expressed surprise that tourists, pilgrims, or local journalists had not reached out to him directly for accurate information about his former homes. He mentioned receiving information about the devastation of Ladywood from the Birmingham Post but noted he had not been directly contacted by the newspaper itself.

Tolkien stated that he had little personal interest in such inquiries and believed they should be reserved for future biographical works. He mentioned that one of his sons had been designated to handle matters related to his biography and that he would provide any necessary material through his will. Furthermore, Tolkien expressed his amazement at the success of his books about the Third Age and emphasised his disdain for the dissection and biographical analysis often conducted on literary works. He viewed such activities as intrusive and unnecessary for understanding literature, remarking that he was a person of little importance outside of his unexpected success as an author.