Letter 215a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 215a
Recipient	Rayner Unwin
Date	4 August 1959
Subject(s)	Publishing Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Letter 215a 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 informs Rayner Unwin of his intention to publish his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He mentions that he was about to sign a contract with Heinemann but remembered that Allen & Unwin had a first-refusal clause for his next works.

Tolkien stresses the urgency of publishing it to preempt competition and inquires if Allen & Unwin would be interested in publishing it soon. He assures Unwin that this project will not delay any further work related to The Silmarillion, but that he needs to complete two tasks before fully dedicating himself to his own stories: finalising Ancrene Wisse which is soon to be in proof, and addressing the Sir Gawain publication.