JRR Tolkien told the Nazis to kiss off  Posted by Starr Keshet
No, the German-based Rütten & Loening publishing house actually
wrote to Tolkien's publisher Stanley Unwin in 1938, demanding
proof of Tolkien's Aryan heritage before going ahead with a
German translation of The Hobbit.   Tolkien was none too pleased
with the request, and wrote the following letter to his
publisher:     "I must say the enclosed letter from Rütten &
Loening is a bit stiff. Do I suffer this impertinence because of
the possession of a German name, or do their lunatic laws
require a certificate of arisch origin from all persons of all
countries? Personally, I should be inclined to refuse to give
any Bestätigung (although it happens that I can), and let a
German translation go hang.   Tolkien drafted two letters - one
that ignored their request entirely and the other chastising the
publisher for adopting the Third Reich's definition of the term
"Aryan." As iO9's Cyriaque Lamar notes, it is unclear which
version Unwin ultimately sent,