George R.R. Martin criticizes Tolkien and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ for lacking political depth

Although George R. R. Martin has respect for J. R. R. Tolkien, the creator of the great saga of fantasy literature par excellence, this does not mean that he does not have criticism towards the legendary author. It is unlikely that the fans of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ have been very concerned about this aspect during all these decades. Still, Martin feels that the classic work lacks political overtones, and he has not hesitated to criticize it fervently.

“Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for a hundred years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: ‘What was Aragorn’s tax policy?,’” the ‘Game of Thrones’ creator begins. “Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? And what about these orcs? By the end of the war, Sauron is gone but all of the orcs aren’t gone - they’re in the mountains. Did Aragorn pursue a policy of systematic genocide and kill them? Even the little baby orcs, in their little orc cradles?”

This is far from the only criticism of Tolkien’s work, and Martin even alludes to the absence of sex in the story of ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ as can be read in AZQuotes.

“Life is very full of sex, or should be. As much as I admire Tolkien - and I do, he was a giant of fantasy and a giant of literature, and I think he wrote a great book that will be read for many years ‚” he begins. “you do have to wonder where all those Hobbits came from, since you can’t imagine Hobbits having sex, can you? Well, sex is an important part of who we are. It drives us, it motivates us, it makes us do sometimes very noble things and it makes us do sometimes incredibly stupid things. Leave it out, and you’ve got an incomplete world.”

Martin continues to build his reputation not only as a great fantasy writer, but also as a controversial and outspoken commentator.