Tolkien Rejected Nazi Aryan Demand

In 1938, J.R.R. Tolkien received a request from Berlin publisher Rutten & Loening for proof of his "Aryan descent" before it would publish The Hobbit in German. Tolkien objected and gave British publisher Stanley Unwin two possible replies, including one that mocked the publisher's misuse of "Aryan" and said he regretted having no ancestors among the "gifted" Jewish people. No one knows which draft reached Berlin, but the deal collapsed. A German translation of The Hobbit appeared only in 1957.

Previous Fact Next Fact