While researching my literary anniversary piece on J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle,” I came across an essay that thoughtfully explores the spiritual shape of the story. The author describes it as “probably the closest thing in Tolkien’s corpus to an autobiographical allegory,” a claim that feels earned the longer you consider the tale.
The article reflects on how Tolkien understood creative work not as self-expression alone, but as something offered up, tethered to goodness, truth, and beauty, and ultimately redeemed by God rather than perfected by the artist.
The full essay, “Lessons from Tolkien’s ‘Leaf by Niggle,’” is worth reading alongside the story itself.
Source: Lessons from Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle” – Word on Fire
Veni, Vidi, Scripsi 