I’m still here … re-reading Tolkien

It’s been over 3 months since my last post on this blog …

I feel as ashamed as an orc that has nothing evil to do, or an elf that has no singing to be done.

Lay of Leofwin project #Update 2

Alas! dear readers and followers of A Tolkienist’s Perspective. I feel a long apology is due to redress my absence during these last few months. However, a short note must suffice at this stage. Although I’ve been actively replying to comments that still flow through on a weekly basis on this blog (thank you!), one of the reasons for my inactivity was precisely this Lay of Leofwin project, which I delve into a bit more in this post.

Hence, read on dear reader, read on …

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It soon becomes apparent to readers delving into Tolkien’s writings, that the aforementioned author was fascinated by the Anglo-Saxon world that thrived in England between c.450AD and 1066 — the latter, an infamous year in history when the Battle of Hastings took place.

Second Age confirmed! LOTR Amazon Series

Ladies and Gentleman, we have the island of Númenor!

LOTRonPrime tweeted earlier today an update to their interactive Middle-earth map … and a confirmation that the series will, in some way, reference the Second Age.

Tolkien | Trailer 2 is here!

Okay folks, a brand new trailer for the film Tolkien just dropped … and it looks wonderful!

Yes, yes, I know I said I’d try not to form any conclusions before actually seeing the film, but it’s difficult to resist once you get to see the scope of the film itself.

Tolkien’s Poetry | Octosyllabic Couplets + New Project Announcement

 

The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun and The Lay of Leithian are, in my opinion, two masterly-crafted long, epic poems (even though the latter, alas, remains unfinished).

I am no poetry expert, having never managed to successfully appreciate many poems (especially those of the modern sort, with free verse and all that), but there was something in Tolkien’s own poetic writings which I found accessible, instant and attractive. And while Tolkien might not be considered one of the great poetry writers, his verses seem to embody a character of their own — steeped in history and language, harking back to the style and tone of the great classical works, The Odyssey, The Divine Comedy and, naturally, Beowulf.

A “very” sketchy analysis of the Lord of the Rings Amazon series interactive map

So Amazon just released an interactive map in what appears to be the beginning of a long and tantalising marketing campaign leading to the release of the secretively-termed “Lord of the Rings series”.

The interactivity of this map lies in the user’s ability to zoom in or out of the familiar layout of Middle-earth and scroll across the landscape features. Suffice to say, the map is quite bare – lacking any sort of geographical names or other details.

So what clues can we gather from this rather uncommunicative map. I decided to undertake a quick exercise to analyse the map, and avoid the hundreds of other fan theories most likely spawning out there on the internet.

What follows is my own, unbiased (most probably totally erroneous, but fun-making) analysis of what this map could mean …

‘Tolkien’ Teaser now online – and it looks stunning!

The kind folks over at TheOneRing.net were given the honour of unveiling the teaser trailer for the upcoming film ‘Tolkien’.

True, there’s not much one can fully appreciate in the 1-minute clip, but it sure got me excited for its release! The visuals truly look captivating, but I’ll reserve my judgement of the film itself once I see it in cinemas.

Celebrating Tolkien’s Birthday

Happy New Year!

It’s 2019, and 3rd January brings with it the annual tradition for any Tolkien readers to celebrate the birth of the author — in this instance, 127 years ago.

Books I’ve Read in 2018 [Christmas wrap-up]

It has become an annual tradition of sorts on this blog to post a list of books I have read in the last twelve months. This might perhaps provide some inspirational reading ideas for you, dear readers.

Besides, I think it’s the perfect opportunity for me to take a moment, stand back, and admire the books I have consumed (not literally).

21 December 2003

I was 15, and I had just spent the previous twelve months with a feeling of constant uneasiness. I was afraid — afraid of people who knew too much, who had read The Lord of the Rings and would reveal the conclusion to the story before I had experienced it.

During the entire year of 2003, I was ever on the lookout not to find myself part of a conversation that naturally gravitated towards the looming release of The Return of the King. I would veer discussion far away from anything related to the trilogy, and would walk off as fast as a fell-beast flies whenever I heard people close by talking about the films -— often having to hum to myself in order to drown out any noise or keywords being spoken that might spoil the ending.