Who became the literary executor and editor of J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumous works?

Christopher Tolkien became the literary executor and editor of J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumous works. J.R.R. Tolkien’s third son undertook the enormous task of organizing, editing, and publishing material left among his father’s papers.

After his father’s death in 1973, Christopher edited The Silmarillion, published in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay. He later produced Unfinished Tales and the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth, which documents the development of Tolkien’s mythology, languages, characters, and narratives.

Christopher Tolkien did not simply reprint finished novels. Much of the material existed in drafts, variants, notes, and incomplete manuscripts, so editorial choices were necessary. His books often explain how different versions of Middle-earth stories evolved.

He also prepared The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin for publication. These editions made previously scattered or unfinished writings accessible to general readers.