Letter 137e

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 137e
Recipient	P. H. Newby
Date	8 July 1953
Subject(s)	Recording excerpts from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Letter 137e 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 this letter Tolkien is responding to P. H. Newby of the BBC following an invitation to submit his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for consideration. Tolkien encloses the complete typescript of the translation, which spans over two and a half thousand lines. He describes his work as a close translation that maintains the original metre, alliteration, and rhyme.

Tolkien emphasises that, like most alliterative poetry, it is more effective when read aloud than when read silently. He expresses his intention to discuss the translation further in person with Newby, hoping for an opportunity to elaborate on his work.