Re:The Man Who Invented Fantasy
by purpleflame1257 on Monday October 02, 2023 @05:24AM
(#37735824)
As we know it, perhaps. However, many seminal works of fantasy predate del Rey's own influence (e.g. The Lord of the Rings, Conan, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.) Credit where credit is due, the Ballantine books are what made Tolkien explode in popularity here in the U.S.
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Re:The Man Who Invented Fantasy
by KineticLensman on Monday October 02, 2023 @05:49AM
(#37736028)
Completely agree. Tolkien for one established many of the basic parameters of modern fantasy novels.
Incidentally, the Ballantine edition of TLoTR had massive publicity from Tolkien himself, in response to an earlier unauthorised publication by Ace Books, for which Tolkien didn't receive any royalties. Tolkien was uncharacteristically active in helping to suppress the unauthorised edition, leading to a major grass-roots campaign in US universities and the wider counter-culture.