The Little-Known Way C.S. Lewis Fought for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Literary Legacy

Files released after 50 years reveal Lewis’ devotion to his friend’s work

The Lord of the Rings often tops literary lists, both best-selling and most beloved. One award J.R.R. Tolkien never achieved, however, was the Nobel Prize in Literature. But that wasn’t due to the lack of a passionate nomination.

Both the identity of Tolkien’s nominator and the fact of his 1961 nomination were unknown to the public—and likely to Tolkien …