Christian Kriticos

Winter is Coming • 11th November 2022

The Fall of Númenor: a redundant but beautiful addition to Tolkien's canon

The reordering of previously published text fragments is now the driving creative act behind the Tolkien industry - as if moving the puzzle pieces of these unfinished writings will somehow reveal new insights.

The Guardian • 21st October 2022

Alis Lesley: the ‘female Elvis’ on Bob Dylan’s new book cover

Positioned between Little Richard and Eddie Cochran is a rock ’n’ roll star who had a short-lived music career. So why has Bob Dylan chosen this relative unknown to front his essay collection?

Winter is Coming • 1st September 2022

The Complete Guide to Middle-earth shows the scale of Tolkien's achievement

Foster describes his book as the culmination of “ten years of intermittent labour.” Whether fans have a previous edition or are coming to it for the first time with this reissue, they will agree that it was labour well spent.

Winter is Coming • 25th June 2022

Christopher Tolkien's legacy shines in The Great Tales Never End

Christopher’s approach always gave the sense of someone working faithfully in the background, out of the limelight. This new essay collection shines a light on his powerful impact on Middle-earth.

StarTrek.com • 29th April 2022

Captain Kirk's Favourite Poem

Kirk’s poetic reference highlights the tension that often comes with scientific progress – whether we belong to the age of seafarers or the age of starfarers.

Winter is Coming • 7th March 2022

Remembering Priscilla Tolkien

Living in the shadow of a famous father can be difficult. But Priscilla Tolkien always spoke of her father’s work with pleasure and pride. Fans can honour her memory by continuing to preserve that fellowship they share in their passion for J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.

Winter is Coming • 3rd September 2021

The Nature of Middle-earth enhances Tolkien’s world

Even as The Nature of Middle-earth expands our knowledge of Tolkien’s world, it also shows us how unfinished it is. We can never fully catch up with the imaginings of a man who every day falls further into the past.

StarTrek.com • 23rd April 2021

Star Trek at the Oscars

Few franchises can rival the enduring success of Star Trek. With 13 films across some 40 years, it is no surprise that it has also been a consistent presence at the biggest event in filmmaking – the Oscars.

StarTrek.com • 25th February 2021

A Closer Look at Benny Russell's Library

In 1998, one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine broke the mould in a radical way, shining a light on the great works of African American literature.

StarTrek.com • 23rd October 2020

How the United Nations Helped Shape the Federation

On UN Day, Christian Kriticos looks at how the United Nations influenced Star Trek and how Trek fans can return the favour.

The American Writers Museum • 20th September 2020

Another Side of George R.R. Martin

George R. R. Martin's earlier work seems to have been forgotten, or at least overshadowed by, his colossal success with A Song of Ice and Fire and its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones.

StarTrek.com • 30th April 2019

How W.B Yeats Captured the Essence of Star Trek a Century Before its Time

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Christian Kriticos takes a look at how a W. B. Yeats poem captures the spirit of Star Trek.

The American Writers Museum • 19th October 2017

Stories Behind Classic Book Covers: The Great Gatsby

Francis Cugat’s painting is perhaps the most famous book cover in American literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s editor understood its significance immediately, declaring it “a masterpiece for this book”.

The Rumpus • 16th March 2017

J. M. Coetzee’s “Bread and Beans” Writing

Man shall not live by bread alone. But add some unsalted bean paste and you have all the nutrients needed for healthy, hard-working life. At least, that is, according to J. M. Coetzee's latest novel, The Schooldays of Jesus.

The Millions • 6th January 2017

James Joyce and the Yuletide Epiphany

As we leave the festive season, James Joyce's The Dead represents a return to reality. For Joyce, true epiphanies do not come during Christmas, amidst wine and tinsel, but after the celebrations have died down, when we find ourselves alone.

The Millions • 29th December 2016

A Reading Resolution

I am making a New Year’s resolution to embrace the unexpected book; to make an effort to read things I have never heard of, on subjects I know nothing about.

The Millions • 8th September 2016

Made of Sterner Stuff: On Roald Dahl and 'Love From Boy'

This newly published collection of Roald Dahl's letters shows how devoted he was to his mother—and how lucky he was to survive the travails of English boarding school life.

The American Writers Museum • 6th September 2016

Five Great Film Adaptations of American Literature

For as long as Hollywood has been making movies, it has looked to America's literary greats for inspiration. Christian Kriticos selects his five favourites adaptations—from the page to the big screen.

The Millions • 31st August 2016

An Invitation to Hesitate: John Hersey’s 'Hiroshima' at 70

In August 1946, The New Yorker eschewed cartoons and “Talk of the Town” in favour of something less frivolous: a 30,000-word article on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

The Millions • 5th April 2016

Origin Stories: The Darker Side of J.R.R. Tolkien

The Story of Kullervo, the first known prose work by J. R. R. Tolkien, offers fans of Middle Earth a chance to read what may be one of the earliest sources for Tolkien’s quintessential literary fantasy realm.