'The Bovadium Fragments': An unpublished Tolkien essay against the cult of cars emerges.

A previously unpublished satirical work by British author J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), a scathing critique of industrialization and the growing dependence on automobiles , will be published on Thursday, October 9. 'The Bovadium Fragments', a short story written between the late 1950s and early 1960s, is being published posthumously by HarperCollins and will be published for the first time in the UK in hardback. In the United States, it will be distributed by William Morrow starting November 18.

After decades of silence, this singular "satirical fantasy" comes to light thanks to the editorial work of the author's son, Christopher Tolkien , who recently passed away. The volume will be enriched with original illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien and an introductory essay by Richard Ovenden, "The Origin of Bovadium," which historically and culturally contextualizes the work's genesis.

Set in a transfigured Oxford renamed 'Bovadium,' the narrative examines the urban transformations that overturned the city in the postwar years. Tolkien, then a professor at Merton College, observed with growing unease the expansion of the automobile industry, embodied in the demonic figure of the "Daemon of Vaccipratum," a clear allusion to Lord Nuffield and the Cowley car factories.

Described by HarperCollins as " a satirical account of the consequences of the cult of the machine ," 'The Bovadium Fragments' is a work light in form, yet charged with profound and decidedly contemporary meaning. As curator Richard Ovenden explains: "Tolkien was deeply troubled by the changes the automobile industry was imposing on his city, and this sentiment shines through."

Though best known for The Lord of the Rings and the vast universe of Middle-earth, Tolkien often revealed in his works an aversion to industrialization and a profound reverence for nature. These themes recur, in a different guise, in this new publication. The Bovadium Fragments, while not part of the universe of Arda, is further testimony to the author's versatility and his ability to use fantasy as a tool for social commentary.

Humphrey Carpenter, in Tolkien's official biography, had already mentioned the manuscript's existence, describing it as "a parable of the destruction of Oxford by motors, blocking the streets, suffocating the inhabitants, and finally exploding." Clyde S. Kilby, Tolkien's close collaborator, explained why the text was not published at the time: "It contained elements that made it unpublishable: a rather liberal use of Latin and a playful streak that threatened to obscure its deeper messages."

'The Bovadium Fragments' represents the last work edited by Christopher Tolkien, who for decades devoted his life to organizing, revising, and publishing the manuscripts left by his father . This story intertwines academic irony, ecological bitterness, and the elegant erudition typical of the Oxford writer. Tolkien delights in parodying the pomposity of archaeologists and the "ugliness of university canteen tableware," but at the same time raises a cry of alarm that, today more than ever, rings true.

The work, enriched by drawings by the author himself, stands as a sort of "testamentary codicil" in Tolkien's literary output. A different yet coherent voice. A small gem of satire and melancholy, it invites us to reflect, once again, on the price of progress and the fragility of the natural world. (by Paolo Martini)