The Luna family is very proud to welcome José Manuel Ferrández Bru.
José is a Spanish computer science engineer and writer. He has published several articles about Tolkien’s oft-ignored connections with Spain. He is a member and the first chairman of the Spanish Tolkien Society. Among his publications are his 2013 book "La Conexion Española de J.R.R. Tolkien" and his essay “Wingless Fluttering: Some Personal Connections in Tolkien’s Formative Years", which appeared in Tolkien Studies 8 (2011). He was also one of the contributors to "The Return of the Rings. Proceedings of the Tolkien Conference 2012".
Luna Press is thrilled to announce that we will be publishing the English version of José's "La Conexion Española de J.R.R. Tolkien", until now only available in Spanish. The English version's title is “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Spanish Connection. Uncle ‘Curro’” and revolves around Francis Morgan, Tolkien's "second father". This book has been extremely well received not only by the Tolkien readership of literary criticism, but also by those with a keen interest in historical ties - books such as these can only increase the understanding of beloved authors such as JRR Tolkien.
We asked José to describe his work and why he decided to investigate the figure of Francis Morgan:
"The book is a biography, but not only a biography. It reconstructs the almost unknown life of Francis Morgan (1857-1935), a Catholic priest of Anglo-Spanish origin, who was involved in the sherry trade, and was guardian and “second father” of author J.R.R. Tolkien.
J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most famous contemporary authors. His works, especially The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, are among the most read of our time, with legions of fans. In addition, Tolkien, a prestigious professor of the University of Oxford, attracts many scholars who try to analyse his works and his biography as keys to determinate his cultural heritage, and to find his sources and inspirations. However, there is one aspect of his biography that has been barely investigated so far: his early years and the lasting relationship of Tolkien (who was orphaned as a child) with his guardian, Father Francis Morgan.
The book is not merely a biography of Tolkien’s guardian; the data collected about Tolkien’s personal relationship with Morgan, as well as a comparative review of his work with that of the illustrious ancestors of his guardian in Hispanic literature, reveal curious parallels that give rise to hypotheses about the influence (yet unknown) of them on Tolkien.
It is also curious that Morgan was the intermediary between Tolkien and the famous Cardinal John Henry Newman (of whom he was assistant); also with people who were directly related to his family, like Washington Irving, Humboldt, Campe or Blanco White, who all didn’t appear to have any other contact outside of this with Tolkien.
Finally, it should be noted that the present work is the result of thorough research between Spain and England which involved, among others, Tolkien’s own family, who have provided their support, along with the testimony (including previously unpublished writings), of Priscilla Tolkien, the author’s daughter."
We are very excited to bring “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Spanish Connection. Uncle ‘Curro’” to an English speaking audience, and we are sure this work will enrich your enjoyment of JRR Tolkien.