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Howard Rosenblum
The Tolkien Society regrets to record the death of Howard Rosenblum (1948 - 2013). He passed away on Sunday, May 26th. He had been in the Society since its earliest days and was for several years its longest-serving member. His funeral was held at Worthing Crematorium on Monday 10th June, attended by the Chairman and several other members of the Society, as well as many friends and former colleagues from his work.
The Tolkien Society extends its condolences to his wife June, his daughter Michelle, and other family members.
Tolkien's The Fall of Arthur Now Out.
Tolkien's epic, unfinished poem, The Fall of Arthur, was released on Thursday 23rd May 2013. This previously unpublished and largely unknown version of the Arthur story starts with the legendary King Arthur going to war in "Saxon lands" before returning home to confront the treachery of his nephew Mordred.
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Fall of Arthur in the 1930s before he started work on The Hobbit. Its existence was revealed in the 1970s, and its publication has been rumoured for some years, but it had been overtaken by other posthumous releases such as The Children of Húrin and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún.
The Fall of Arthur is Tolkien’s reimagining of a tale most often associated with 15th century poet Thomas Mallory, from the Middle English period. Tolkien uses the alliterative verse format of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) poetry, which he greatly enjoyed, though it is not normally associated with the Arthur stories.
Tolkien Society Chairman Shaun Gunner said, "We are all used to seeing Tolkien’s stories set in Middle-earth, but this is the first time we’ve seen Tolkien write about legendary Britain. We know Tolkien loved the alliterative verse of Anglo-Saxon, so his own re-imagining of Arthur’s downfall will make for an interesting read. This is fundamentally important in terms of considering Tolkien’s academic career and his wider creative process, but it will also be fascinating to see how The Fall of Arthur - written before The Hobbit – may have parallels in Tolkien’s other stories."
Children's Fantasy at the Bodleian, Oxford
With a theme of some of the leading modern writers of children's fantasy literature of the so-called 'Oxford School': C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Susan Cooper, Alan Garner and Philip Pullman, Oxford's Bodleian Library's Exhibition Room will display a selection of Tolkien's original artwork for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; C.S. Lewis's Lefay notebook and his map of Narnia, and manuscripts of novels and poems by Alan Garner, Philip Pullman and Susan Cooper.
Also featured in the exhibition will be some of the books and manuscripts of myths, legends, and magical practices on which these authors drew for inspiration. The Bodleian was also the venue where the Library scenes in the Harry Potter films were shot. The exhibition runs from 23 May - 27 October 2013. Entrance is free, and there is a program of lunchtime lectures. For more information see www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley/whats-on/upcoming-events/2013/may/magical-books.
Tolkien Tour Planned in Switzerland
A walking tour of the alps where Tolkien took his famous walking holiday with family and friends as a teenager is planned following the opening of the Greisinger Middle Earth Collection, Switzerland, in September this year.
The holiday was a big adventure to the keen walker and provided many influences and mountain scenes for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in later life. The guide will be Oxford-born and educated Tolkien scholar and author Alex Lewis, a former Chairman of The Tolkien Society, (and currently en retour as its Hon. Secretary). For more information see www.alpenwild.com/trip?trips_id=29
An Unexpected Briefing - Air New Zealand
Not only very funny and great visuals, but a great safety video too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBlRbrB_Gnc
BLUE PLAQUE UNVEILED FOR TOLKIEN IN LEEDS
A blue plaque to JRR Tolkien has been established by Leeds Civic Trust at 2 Darnley Road, West Park, Leeds. Dr Kersten Hall, graduate of St Anne's College, Oxford and Visiting Fellow to the Faculty of Arts at the University of Leeds, unveiled the plaque on 1st October 2012. The Tolkien Society and its members have been instrumental in securing this recognition for this former residence of JRR Tolkien while he was at the University of Leeds in the 1920s. Read more.
Tolkien Studies New Editor
Michael D.C. Drout and Verlyn Flieger welcome David Bratman as third co-editor of the regular academic journal Tolkien Studies. Bratman, who for many years compiled the notable Year's Work section, will also be Book Review Editor, succeeding Doug Anderson, who has left because of a dispute with the publisher. Colleague Merlin DeTardo will now be in full charge of the Year's Work.
Christopher Tolkien - new interview
Christopher Tolkien has given an interview to leading French newspaper Le Monde, a very rare event. The interview contains historical background on Christopher Tolkien's involvement with the genesis of The Lord of the Rings, his views on the Lord of the Rings movies, and comments from the Tolkien Estate solicitor, Cathleen Blackburn. You can find the Le Monde article here and an English translation here.
Tolkien was nominated by CS Lewis for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961.
It is interesting to see the variety of reactions to the news that Tolkien did not win a Nobel Prize for literature. It is a top 10 story on the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16440150), the Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/05/jrr-tolkien-nobel-prize), and in Svenska Dagblat (Swedish language website www.sydsvenskan.se/kultur-och-nojen/article1597798/Nu-avslojas-det-Greene-tvaa-pa-listan-1961.html), the newspaper that broke the story ... the news is that Graham Green did not win the Nobel Prize for literature
Simon Tolkien
Simon Tolkien's The King of Diamonds, the second in his Inspector Trave series, was published March 15. As with The Inheritance, this murder mystery is set in Oxford, the Old Bailey, and Europe and is rooted in events of World War II. A review of the novel will appear in the fall issue of Mallorn.
Christopher Tolkien Text is Republished
Tolkien's publishers HarperCollins UK are making available an academic text and commentary by Christopher Tolkien.
First published in 1960, The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise translates a saga from 12th century Iceland, a story of legendary kings and warriors, including the woman warrior Hervor, her family and their feuds.
The original edition in the Nelsons Icelandic Texts series has become difficult and expensive to obtain in the last half century. The book is now available as a print-on-demand hardback priced £40 from www.tolkien.co.uk
For more information about the original publication and the Viking Society for Northern Research, see
http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/953-The_Saga_of_King_Heidrek_the_Wise.php
White Tree Fund
Formed by the Tolkien/Lord of the Rings community initially to respond to the need of victims of the tsunami disaster, now for other disasters. White Tree Fund homepage.
