NPR Does HPL

So, somewhat to my surprise, the next-to-last story on NPR's Morning Edition on Friday was a report from Necronomicon. As usual with any news piece on a meeting with a fantasy/sci-fi theme, the reporter has included the cliche of talking about people in costume (one of those little boxes you have to check when doing a story of this kind, I guess) and also made fun of the name (whereas I'd say "Necronomicon" is a great in-joke instantly recognizable to the people who'd be interested in attending).

But it was interesting to learn, through the piece, that Providence seems to be accepting HPL as a native son, with a bust of him now in the Athenaeum and the CALL OF CTHULHU silent movie from a few years back being shown there as part of some special exhibit. That's a level of local fame I don't think HPL himself ever seriously dreamed of.  Hope they do put together that walking tour of Lovecraft-associated Providence spots that gets mentioned. And I do have to give them credit that in links from the online version of the story they provide links to pieces that raise some serious issues about HPL and his work, but keep them out of the main story. Bemused by the comments, esp. the one by "Pugmire", who I assume is the Lovecraft scholar of the same name, attacking anyone who criticizes Lovecraft's worst novel as being "illiterate". More interestingly, Pugmire asserts that the Lovecraft volume from Library of America is their best-selling title of all time. That would be surprising, but don't really know where to go to confirm something like that. If true, it wd be deeply ironic, since Edmund Wilson, who was a big supporter of a Library-of-America type project, was a notorious detractor of Lovecraft.

In any case, here's the link:

http://www.npr.org/2013/10/31/241655366/providence-kindles-love-of-horror-writer-h-p-lovecraft

--John R.
current book: GODS AND FIGHTING MEN by Lady Gregory [1904]
current audiobook: Boswell's LIFE OF JOHNSON [1791]

Tolkien. Oxford. Spring.

So, Tolkien and Oxford and Spring in England are all good things.

And if you put three good things together, you get a v. good thing indeed.

Case in point: the Tolkien Spring School taking place in Oxford in March (Th 21st-Sat 23rd). Among the speakers will be Stuart Lee and Elizabeth Solopova (THE KEYS TO TOLKIEN'S MIDDLE-EARTH), John Garth (TOLKIEN AND THE GREAT WAR), Edmund Weiner of the O.E.D. (RING OF WORDS), Th. Honegger (author of many works, and editor of the journal FASTITOCALON), Carl Phelpstead (TOLKIEN AND WALES), Mark Atherton (whose new book on Tolkien is just out), and two whose work I don't know yet, Anna Caughey and Maria Artamonova. This is being described as an introductory event, and sounds like it does a good job of touching a lot of the bases. I'd certainly be going if it were a little nearer (being a continent AND an ocean away). Below is the brief online description of the event; for the full schedule, see http://www.english.ox.ac.uk/news-events/upcoming-events/201303/oxford-tolkien-spring-school

--John R.

P.S.: I'd love to hear a report of how this one goes; sounds like a good event.

Oxford Tolkien Spring School

21 - 23 March 2013

http://www.english.ox.ac.uk/news-events/upcoming-events/201303/oxford-tolkien-spring-school

J. R. R. Tolkien is one of the best known authors of the twentieth century, and his books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have entertained and intrigued readers alike for decades, becoming some of the most popular books of all time. Many people will have read these novels, or seen the filmed adaptations, but have had little opportunity to take their interests further. To meet this need the Oxford Tolkien Spring School is being organised by the University of Oxford's English Faculty (where Tolkien taught for most of his career), aimed at those who have read some of Tolkien's fiction and wish to discover more. A series of introductory lectures by world-leading Tolkien scholars have been assembled, to take place in the English Faculty, University of Oxford, over the 21-23 March, 2013. Talks will cover Tolkien's life, his work as an academic, his mythology, the influences of medieval literature on his fiction, his languages, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and his other lesser known works. There will also be panel discussions looking at Tolkien's place in the the literary canon. There will also be opportunities to see the sights of Oxford that were so important to Tolkien and his colleagues, as well as an introduction to some of the Tolkien collections at the University.

Next Up: Valparaiso

So, having written a piece on THE SILMARILLION's influence on THE HOBBIT ("A Fragment, Detached"), I'm currently working on the problem from the other end: looking to see if THE HOBBIT had any influence on THE SILMARILLION in return. I'm still researching and writing this one, whose working title is "Anchoring the Myth: THE HOBBIT and THE SILMARILLION; so more on it as it comes together.

This will be my presentation at the Tolkien conference being organized at Valparaiso, March 1st thr 3rd, where I'm honored to be one of the three Plenary speakers, along with Doug Anderson (5 pm Friday, "Annotating and Illustrating THE HOBBIT") and Verlyn Fleiger (9 am Saturday, "Bilbo's French Connection").*  My own talk is scheduled for 9 am Sunday morning.

Of course, there'll be a lot more going on than just the featured speakers. Brad Eden, the organizer, has put together a schedule with more than twenty papers organized into eight sessions (i.e., as many or more than comprise the Tolkien At Kalamazoo track in any given year);  in addition I'll be chairing one of these sessions of papers (on THE HOBBIT). It's a tribute to how good a program he's put together that I'm already looking at it and realizing I'll be missing good papers no matter which sessions I go to: there's just that much going on. Plus of course other events, like the Banquet, a musical performance of Tolkien-inspired songs, the Exhibit, and a live performance of Johan de Meij's SYMPHONY No. 1: THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Should be quite a week-end. If you're anywhere in the area, try to drop by; it shd be an interesting and enjoyable event.

--John R.


Here's the complete schedule of the event:
 http://conference.valpo.edu/tolkien/

Kalamazoo 2012

So, early tomorrow morning I'm off to attend this year's Tolkien track at the Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo.

There's a handy-dandy listing of the Tolkien sessions here:

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/04/21/55218-kalamazoo-and-tolkien-too/

--alhough I must add, sadly, that two of the four people on the 75th Anniversary HOBBIT panel have had to bow out (Jane Beal and Jason Fisher). Too bad; I was looking forward to finding out what 'Hidden War' she meant, while Voluspa always gets my attention (having devoted an entire appendix of my book to just one part of it). Still, there are plenty of other interesting-sounding sessions, and of course there's all the non-Tolkien 99% of the rest of the conference to think about too.

So, if you're there, be sure to drop by and say hello.

If not, think about giving it a try another year: I always learn something new I didn't know each year.

--John R.

current audiobook: SILVER ON THE TREE

current Dunsany play: LORD ADRIAN