The 2009 Tolkien Society Seminar - Call for Papers and Announcement By Illuvatar
Jun 6, 2009, 20:13 GMT
“Journeys & Destinations”
Saturday, 27th June - Sir John Soane’s Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
London
The seminar provides academics, students and independent scholars with a
venue for interdisciplinary dialogue. This year the theme is “Journeys and
Destinations” in Tolkien’s works. Participants are free to draw on any part of
Tolkien’s oeuvre, or to follow a thematic line within one text, or one text in
its variant forms (draft ms, published work, amended edition).
Format: Papers should be either 20 or 45 minutes long to fit into half-hour
or hour slots with time for questions or discussion. There may also be scope to
accommodate a number of short 10-minute presentations. It is intended that there
will be two morning sessions and one afternoon session. Please send the
title, a short summary/abstract and the intended length to Ian Collier, the
Education Secretary, as soon as possible. e-mail: edsec@tolkiensociety.org
Registration Costs:
Tolkien Society members: £20.00
Non-members: £23.00
The registration fee covers attendance at the seminar, and morning and
afternoon tea and coffee.
The closing date for registration is 13th June, however spaces are limited so
to secure your place please book early.
Meet Guillermo del Toro at the Weta Cave By Illuvatar
Jun 6, 2009, 19:58 GMT
Hollywood Director Guillermo del Toro will be launching his first novel, The Strain, with a book signing at the Weta Cave. The Strain is the first volume in a trilogy of books, co-written with thriller writer Chuck Hogan, about a vampiric virus that invades New York.
Guillermo is currently in New Zealand to direct The Hobbit , the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is one of the hottest directors in Hollywood, after directing an array of visionary movies such as The Devil's Backbone, the Oscar winning Pan's Labyrinth and the two Hellboy movies. He will be signing books and collectibles at this exclusive Weta Cave after-hours event.
When & Where
Wednesday 17th June | 6-8 PM The Weta Cave, Cnr Camperdown Rd/Weka St, Miramar, Wellington Other items we will have available for purchase are: Hellboy action figures Hellboy Animated statues Pan's Labyrinth DVDs We highly recommend you come as close to 6PM as possible as the time for the event as well as our stock of del Toro's work is strictly limited.
Please also note: renowned Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee is doing a Weta Cave book signing Saturday 20 June at 1-3 PM!
The Fellowship of the Ring at Radio City Music Hall By Illuvatar May 12, 2009, 02:52 GMT
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING SCORE PERFORMED LIVE TO PICTURE!!! 300 MUSICIANS RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL OCTOBER 9 & 10, 2009
EXTRAORDINARY LIVE MUSIC EVENT IN THE HEART OF NEW YORK CITY WITH ORCHESTRA AND VAST CHOIR PERFORMING LIVE TO THE FILM!
Tickets On-Sale NOW for This Two-Night Only Can’t-Miss Event!
New York, NY — Devoted fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Lord of the Rings have read the books, they’ve seen Peter Jackson’s Academy® Award-winning films, and now they will have a chance to experience composer Howard Shore’s Academy® and Grammy®-winning score to The Fellowship of the Ring live at Radio City Music Hall on Friday, October 9th and Saturday October 10th. For this extraordinary event, 300 musicians—a 75-piece orchestra and a 225-member choir—have been gathered to perform the complete score to 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring live with the motion picture on a massive screen towering above the stage.
Christopher Tolkien on Sigurd and Gudrún By Eledhwen
May 7, 2009, 21:04 GMT
Christopher Tolkien hopes that the newly published Sigurd and Gudrún will show a different side of his father than most LOTR fans may know. In the article he says:
I dare say that a good many will be instantly put off by the very idea of 'long narrative poems in verse' and pursue it no further
However, he continues on to say that the form of the 500-stanza poem, modelled after the Elder Edda, "will lend them an 'unexpected impact'." Read the full article at The Guardian.
Looking for a Hobbit home? By Eledhwen
May 5, 2009, 15:43 GMT
Seems that there are some Hobbit homes in trouble in Bend, Oregon. The six-acre development is called The Shire - and yes, it's Tolkien-inspired. The property went into foreclosure but it may have found an investor; the deal has not yet been finalized. Sadly though, it seems that the Hobbit theme may not survive the deal. If you're interested have a look at the full article here.
The Hunt for Gollum By Eledhwen
May 4, 2009, 16:31 GMT
Have a look (if you haven't already heard about it) at the incredible fan film, The Hunt for Gollum, an original story about Aragorn's search for Gollum! You can also check out their blog.
Collector's Edition of The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún By Eledhwen
Apr 21, 2009, 14:43 GMT
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is due out this May 5th and Harper Collins is offering you a chance to order a special collector's edition, signed by Christopher Tolkien, available for a special price of £250.00 for a short time. Details of the special edition:
Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún Exclusive Deluxe Edition Book - Limited to 500 copies, signed by Christopher Tolkien. Containing facsimile page of original manuscript, hand-bound in goat-skin; pages edged in gold. With leather traycase lined in suede.
Latest 'Hobbit' News By Eledhwen
Apr 21, 2009, 14:22 GMT
Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson have fleshed out the nature of the two Hobbit films, clearing up some of the debate around the second film.
Del Toro stated: We’ve decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur.
Jackson thought it would be a mistake "to try to cram everything into one movie," and added that The Hobbit will be more in the style of his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Read the full story here.
March 25th is Tolkien Reading Day!! By Illuvatar Mar 21, 2009, 20:32 GMT
Tolkien Reading Day was set up to encourage people to read some of Tolkien’s stories at school or university, in reading groups, or as a family; the theme for 2009 is
NEW Weta Cast - Episode VI! By Illuvatar
Mar 21, 2009, 20:27 GMT
Weta News has announced that their latest Weta Cast "Episode VI" is now available for download.
This time they "air" an interview they recorded late last year with Lord Of The Rings veterans Matt Appleton and Emily-Jane Sturrock who have been travelling.
They also take a closer look at the new website and get Richard Taylor's as well as Tim Launders views on what the new site is all about.
Turbine Unveils Volume II, Book 7: LEAVES OF LÓRIEN for the LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™ By Illuvatar Mar 21, 2009, 20:20 GMT
Turbine, Inc. announced the details of the latest major update for subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria™ (LOTRO). Book 7: Leaves of Lórien is the latest of Turbine’s frequent and substantial updates to the Best MMORPG of 2008**. Book 7 delivers the next installment to the epic story for Volume II of LOTRO, a new 12-player raid, major gameplay enhancements, the Spring Festival and access to the full region of Lothlórien. Book 7: Leaves of Lórien will be available to subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Online on March 17, 2009 in North America and March 24, 2009 in Europe. ....more
New Tolkien Book to be Released this May By Eledhwen
Feb 19, 2009, 19:17 GMT
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, by J.R.R. Tolkien will be released this May, says publisher HarperCollins. Tolkien's re-working of the original Norse epics, done in verse, was originally written 80 years ago while he was a professor at Oxford. It is introduced and edited by Christopher Tolkien. Read the full article here.
The Hobbit to be released in 2012 By Eledhwen
Dec 19, 2008, 16:19 GMT
It's being reported that filming for The Hobbit will start in 2010, with the release date for the movie being pushed to 2012. So far, the reasons for the delayed release are unknown. Read the full article.
Viggo May be Back By Eledhwen
Dec 5, 2008, 16:13 GMT
From Digital Spy:
Viggo Mortenson has not ruled out the possibility of appearing in The Hobbit.
The actor, who played Aragorn in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, revealed that he will not be in the first of Guillermo del Toro's two movies based on the book, but there is a chance he will be in the second. Read the article here.
More Hobbit News from del Toro By Eledhwen
Dec 1, 2008, 15:46 GMT
Guillermo del Toro has indicated that The Hobbit will shoot for one year. Shooting will begin in 2010 and is scheduled to go for 370 days, the director said in a live chat last week. Read the transcript of the chat over at BilboHobbit.com.
LOTR Items Signed by Tolkien for Auction By Eledhwen
Nov 27, 2008, 16:24 GMT
Some rare LOTR items are up for auction next month. You can bid on a map of Middle-earth, signed by Tolkien ($4,000-$6,000) or three First Edition volumes of LOTR (with Elvish inscription), also signed by Tolkien ($80,000-$120,000) starting at 12.00pm PST on December 11, 2008. The auction will be held by Profiles in History and bidding will be done through EBay Live Auctions. Check out a list of all the other items up for auction here.
Hobbit Tidbits from del Toro By Eledhwen
Nov 27, 2008, 14:20 GMT
On November 23, Guillermo del Toro participated in a BD Live chat session (the first ever in real time, with a director). The chat was held to coincide with the launch of of the Blu-ray Disc/DVD of Hellboy II but he had some things to say about The Hobbit as well:
“Many, many more [in The Hobbit], and we will be pushing the goblin kingdom. We will be pushing Smaug, the Spiders of Mirkwood. We will be pushing them to the edge of technology, where we will fuse animatronics and CGI into a seamless new art form in creating creatures.”Read the full article here.
Tolkien inspired by Welsh language By Eledhwen
Nov 24, 2008, 16:20 GMT
A MAJOR new work describes how the Welsh language fired the imagination behind The Lord of the Rings saga.
Dimitra Fimi of Cardiff University has studied how author JRR Tolkien drew on Welsh as he crafted the language of elves. His lifelong interest in Welsh began in childhood when he saw Welsh words on coal trucks arriving from Wales.
Dr Fimi said: “It was fascinating for him. It was something out of the ancient pasts of Britain from the west.”
As a writer he cherished the ancient history of Britain. In the Welsh language – and in his heavily annotated copies of The Mabinogion – he found inspiration to create his own mythology. Read the full article.
