J.R.R. Tolkien published the short story Leaf by Niggle in 1945. It first appeared in the Irish journal The Dublin Review in January of that year.
The story follows Niggle, a painter who keeps working on an enormous tree but struggles to complete the picture because everyday duties interrupt him. Its themes include artistic creation, duty, compassion, death, and the possibility that an artist’s work may be fulfilled in an unexpected form.
Readers often interpret Niggle as reflecting Tolkien’s own experience as a writer and illustrator. Tolkien spent years developing the mythology of Middle-earth, while teaching, marking work, caring for his family, and meeting other responsibilities.
Leaf by Niggle is not part of The Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion. It is an independent allegorical tale, although its ideas about creation and the relationship between imagined worlds and reality connect strongly with Tolkien’s broader views on fantasy.