Letter 56a

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 56a
Recipient	Christopher Tolkien
Date	27 March 1944
Subject(s)	Update on home life

Letter 56a 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 his son Christopher, Tolkien recounts the receipt of Christopher's letters and updates him on recent events at home. He describes a particularly exhausting day that included attending Mass, finishing exam sections, and enduring a long examiners' meeting, followed by an air raid siren. Despite the grueling schedule, Tolkien finds joy in the warm spring weather and the blooming garden. He mentions the household's marmalade-making activities and his struggles with fatigue, exacerbated by the switch to "Double Summer Time".

Tolkien laments his inability to work on "The Hobbit" due to a lack of mental energy and discusses his plans to visit Birmingham for a lunch at King Edward's School. He expresses his desire for meaningful conversation and plans to see friends like Sidney, Charles Williams, and C.S. Lewis. He humorously notes acquiring a new hat, similar to his old one, which had become too worn to ignore. The letter ends with a heartfelt blessing for his son.