Geek Kon is a relatively young gathering, started in 2007 by students and alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The fifth con was held this weekend, September 9 to 11, with 1400 fans attending. There were three Tolkien-related events, allinvolving David Salo, an expert on the professor’s invented languages.
David’s main contribution to the scholarly study of those languages has been his book A Gateway to Sindarin. He also, however, acted as the “Tolkien linguist” for Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. In that capacity, he translated phrases and passages from the script into various Middle-earth languages, primarily Elvish. David also devised passages in Khuzdul (the secret language of the dwarves), including choral portions in the musical score for the scenes in Moria. David also translated the phrases seen engraved on the swords and other armaments, and he recorded readings of his translations for the language coaches to use in training the actors.
(I have known David for years, and in September of 2004 I interviewed him for my book, The Frodo Franchise. I used material from that interview in Chapter 3, “Handcrafting a Blockbuster,” pp. 95-6.)
I don’t think it has been publicly announced yet, but fans will be delighted to know that David is currently performing the same tasks for The Hobbit. Although his contract obviously restricts him in what he can say about the actual filming, his first talk shared with us what he could reveal. Continue reading “David Salo, Linguistic Consultant for The Hobbit, speaks at Geek Kon”
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Rob writes: A discussion on Tolkien was held on the irish radio station Newstalk last Sunday. Their “Talking History” program covered Tolkien’s life and how that influenced his writing. Guests included Julianne Stephens, Conor Kostick, Stephen Benedict, John Garth and Simon Tolkien. Just click on “Highlights from Talking History” on that page below for the list of recent discussions. It is also available on iTunes. More..
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Pieter Collier from the Tolkienlibrary.com writes: Exactly 50 years ago the artist Cor Blok created about 140 illustrations to accompany The Lord of the Rings, he visited Tolkien who liked his art and bought 3 pieces – the only artist who ever sold his art to Tolkien. In his letters Tolkien once said that if ever an illustrated The Lord of the Rings could be created it would have been Cor Blok who would receive the job. No such thing ever happened. However Cor Blok’s art was featured on the Dutch translation of The Lord of the Rings for 27 years, without even mentioning the name Cor Blok. Some five years ago I talked to Cor Blok and embarked on a mission to track down his art, since many were sold and lost. They were all over the world, no one knew how much there were and how they looked like. Continue reading “New Book: A Tolkien Tapestry: Pictures to accompany The Lord of the Rings”
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Tolkien fans are a creative bunch, to say the least, and Benjamin Harff is a testament to that.
An art student from Germany, Benjamin was introduced to Middle-earth back in 1991 when he was but 11 years old. Out camping with friends in the woods, he recalls sharing readings from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by the fireside, an experience that would leave a strong impression on him even into adulthood.
For his final examination in Illustration and Graphic Design in 2009, he spent a year and a half creating a handmade version of The Silmarillion. The result was an exquisite sub-creation of one of Tolkien’s greatest posthumously-published works replete with calligraphic text, illustrations, and illuminations, all meticulously hand-bound in goat leather.
On the right can be seen the illumination of the opening page of the book, a page that Benjamin says took more than 70 hours to create. The Tolkien Library, a fansite dedicated to the works of Tolkien, has an in-depth interview with Benjamin concerning his work, where more pictures of the book can be found.
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Our friend Jason Fisher (better known here at TORN as message board member Visualweasel) has published his first book, Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays. Source criticism — the analysis of a writer’s source material — has long been one of the most popular approaches in exploring the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, but there has never been a comprehensive book on the subject until now. Since Tolkien drew from many disparate sources, an understanding of these sources, as well as how and why he incorporated them, can enhance readers’ appreciation of his work. This collection of new essays by leading Tolkien scholars — including Tom Shippey, John Rateliff, Diana Pavlac Glyer, Jason Fisher, and others — describes the theory and methodology for proper source criticism and provides practical demonstrations of the approach. A must have for serious fans! Here’s what the Tolkien community is saying:
“The most exhaustive examination yet published of demonstrable, probable, and conjectural sources for Tolkien’s legendarium ransacks myth, history, astronomy, literature and popular culture for clues to Tolkien’s raw material. This collection will stimulate readers and scholars alike.”
—Verlyn Flieger, author of Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World
“This critical collection provides a solid defense of the sometimes-maligned literary discipline of ‘source-hunting’ along with outstanding examples of the value of this approach in understanding the depths of Tolkien’s literary creation.”
—Douglas A. Anderson, author of The Annotated Hobbit
“A valuable book for anyone serious about Tolkien. It not only adds new, confirming material to what is known about Tolkien’s sources but covers areas of influence previously denied or underplayed.”
—Marjorie J. Burns, author of Perilous Realms: Celtic and Norse in Tolkien’s Middle-earth
Follow this link to learn more on Amazon, and good luck with the book, Jason!
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TORn’s good friend The Tolkien Shop in Holland is supporting us at DragonCon again this year – be sure to stop by our table for a free pen! The Tolkien Shop reaches a remarkable milestone this year – 25 years in the business! That’s pretty impressive – and they’re celebrating! If you’re in the area in October, stop by and celebrate with them. More details after the break. Continue reading “Silver jubilee for Tolkien Shop”
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