The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien himself. In letters 29 and 30, it appears that a German translation of "The Hobbit" was being negotiated in 1938. The German firm enquired whether Tolkien was of "Arisch" (Aryan) origin. Tolkien was infuriated by this, and wrote two drafts of possible replies for his publisher to choose. The first one is not present – in it Tolkien is assumed to have refused to give any declaration whatsoever of his racial origins. The second, surviving, draft included: A former signals officer at the Battle of the Somme, Tolkien frequently expressed his great dislike for war, whatever the cause. This is
Reception of J. R. R. Tolkien Rings" followed from 1973 to 1975 ("Tiden Norsk Forlag"). Both translations were harshly criticized for errors and inconsistencies and complaints resulted in a new translation of "LotR", published in 1980/81. By the late 1980s, Tolkien's works were well known to the Norwegian public. A translation of the "Silmarillion" appeared in 1994. The unsatisfactory "Hobbit" translation was replaced only in 1997. By the mid-1990s, the popularity of Tolkien had risen to a level that made viable translations of his minor works. Arthedain - The Tolkien Society of Norway was founded in 1981. The Finnish Tolkien Society Kontu ("Suomen Tolkien-seura Kontu ry"