Interview - DJ Taylor and The King Under the Mountain

I speak with biographer and critic D. J. Taylor about his new book, The King Under the Mountain: In Search of J. R. R. Tolkien. We discuss Tolkien's life and literary world, the relationship between biography and Middle-earth, his politics and Catholicism, the influence of war and modernity, the making of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and some of the more contested aspects of Tolkien's work and reputation. We also consider Taylor's attempt to move beyond the familiar authorised image of Tolkien and recover the more complicated, sometimes contradictory figure behind the legend.