They loved to fight, valiant horsemen with swords and horns and arrows.  But did they fight for her?  Sitting home, left behind to wait on a king who no longer thought of anyone or anything but darkness, watched by lustful eyes fueled in all his deceit by his selfishness – what good was it for strong men to fight if their homes crumbled in their absence?  Would this be her whole life, waiting for people to die, watching decay and singing of dirges?  How could a shieldmaiden ward off the subtly corrupting whispers that truly threatened her kingdom?  An enemy manifest, however terrible, is easier to defy than ghosts in the shadows.  And she yearned, for morning and for restoration and for love. 

A brother she had, whom she loved.  A king she had, like a father to her.  A people she had, who would follow her.  They that went with the puissant soldier on the paths of the dead went because they would not be parted from him.  She stood alone weeping as she watched him go, but he from whom she could not be parted was her uncle.  Where will wanted not, her way opened.  Disregarding formation, she rode close to him.  In the battle she learned that what she wanted more than death, more than glory, was to preserve the beloved lives of her friends.  Alone she stood, facing death, shielding self and kindred from his icy blows. 

And then she wasn’t alone.  Her little companion, brought out of sympathy, stood up and began a change in the woman.  Valiantly, for no other reason than that the desperate woman should not die alone, he reached up to stab at death.  Together they brought him down.  Together these two unlikely heroes suffered, both sleeping in the triage houses in the city.  More came, not for glory or to make whole again their human weapons.  The healers came to restore the broken, to call back the fevered wanderers. 

She woke in the middle of a journey.  No healer had she been; her hand ungentle, left to fight its own battles.  And here at last beside her, appointed also to stay at home, stood a man who could outmatch any of the revered men of valor she had known.  Yet he spoke not of the love of fighting, but of love for that he defended.  He did not love being a ruler, but loved that which he stewarded.  His own glory meant nothing, but he wanted to do what was wise and brave and therefore praiseworthy.  He would forfeit his life to keep an oath. 

Her reflection stood before her, cast in new light.  She also fought, stewarded, took pity, and offered her life.  Now she saw what it was for, and it went deeper than opposing the things she feared and hated.  As the days passed, the man grew to love her.  No more did she miss someone to stand for her, to speak for her, to plan for what pleased her.  He was there.  And her heart changed, or else at last she understood it: to be a shieldmaiden no more, but to be a healer and lover of all things that grow.  Turned from the dark battle and dirges to the life that had been crumbling, she found peace and love and bliss. 

To God be all glory,

Lisa of Longbourn

If I could live anywhere, it would be Rivendell, home of the Elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.  As depicted in the Peter Jackson film, it’s is a truly magical, mysterious, beautiful place.  Nestled in a valley and perfectly blended into the wild nature that surrounds it, I couldn’t imagine a more suitable setting.  The stonework, the intricate carvings and columns, the stunning architecture, the waterfalls, the trees — my ideal kind of home.  Hidden away from the rest of the world, a calm, quiet sanctuary, a place of peaceful reflection and meditation, a place for intellectual study, a musical and poetic retreat — a place to slow down and find oneself again.

Though a sad race, I’m greatly intrigued by Tolkien’s Elves.  They’re beautiful and wise, living at a slower pace, constantly learning, creating, observing.  I would love to live in such a place, wandering the open-air rooms, feeling a natural breeze indoors, spending my hours reading, thinking, observing, writing; then go take a walk among the trees, along the river, over the rocks, feeling the natural calm of the wild life around me, feeling washed over with serenity as the sound of water running and birds chirping are the only things I hear.

BAE Systems, the UK’s biggest defence, security and aerospace manufacturer, is facing further scrutiny after their investigation by the Serious Fraud Office for alleged bribery in a number of third-world countries exposed another suspicious deal within the fantasy realm of Middle Earth.

The SFO is expected to announce later whether BAE Systems will be prosecuted for paying millions of pounds to win a contract to equip the Men of Gondor with trainer jets and remote artillery sighting software. ‘Despite his household’s perilous financial condition, Denethor, Ruling Steward of Gondor, was desperate for a modern defence force to combat the growing menace of the evil wizard Saruman,’ claimed an industry insider. ‘He was more than willing to bung a few sacks of gold in BAE’s direction.’

BAE’s presence also crops up in the notorious Hobbit corruption scandal, in which Samwise Gamgee, the Shire’s Minister of Defence, allegedly received kickbacks from the company in return for awarding them the contract for an aviation control system. According to one Hobbit journalist, by the time the deal was finalised, this military air traffic control system was not only out of date, but is criminally ill-suited to their needs. ‘The Shire Airforce consists of nothing more than a fat bloke in a hand glider, who can barely get off the ground anyway.’ he revealed.

In light of these revelations it is expected that BAE will plead guilty to charges of corruption and will agree to pay a substantial sum in compensation. The SFO is said to be considering a deal in which the company will hand over to the government the profits made from all of their Middle Earth contracts, in the form of a single magic ring. The Prime Minister has apparently given his tacit approval, keen to acquire this precious ‘ring to rule them all’ before the next election.

(Written 1 Oct 2009)

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

JRR Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, 1954. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.

“The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.”

~ J. R. R. Tolkien

When hiking in the Berkeley Hills, I often think of this poem from The Lord of the Rings. In some places, I half expect to see a hobbit trampling along the trail.

The Road Goes Ever On

In others, I wonder if a Ring Wraith might not be lurking around.

Ring Wraith Moon

And in some, one can feel the presence of the Elves, the beauty of the trees, light, and sky is so breath-taking.

Elven Skies

It was my happy privilege to read The Lord of the Rings while stationed in the Army in Augsburg, Germany. The trilogy was transformative for me, because somehow, reading it gave me back the “magic” of nature, the wonder of it. I’d somehow lost this feeling over the years through a combination of materialistic reductionism and a starkly dualistic religion that made this world at best a counterfeit of some abstract glorious realm that transcended material life.

As the wonders of the Tolkien’s story-telling unfolded, I felt my heart open up again to the beauty of nature all around me. In the incredible beauty of Black Forest trails, I was in Middle-Earth!

Bavarian Road

The charm of Bavaria, the rustic houses and even the dress of the people you’d meet on the trails, all lent themselves to the feel you’d stepped into a fairy tale. I can only image that the Cotswolds of England could more feel like Middle-Earth in the look and atmosphere.

I often marveled at this transformation of my heart. Yes, the story was beautiful, and wondrous, but why did it change my perception of nature so much?

Then, sometime later, I read Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories” and everything made sense.

What happened to me was what happened to Tolkien himself, though the “magic” of words: “It was in fairy-stories that I first divined the potency of the words, and the wonder of things, such as stone, and wood, and iron; tree and grass; house and fire; bread and wine.”

It was the wonder of the “mundane”—of stone, wood, tree, and grass, and the simple pleasures of food and true companions—that Tolkien’s story gave back to me, and it has never left. Genuine presence, being here and now, is “fairy,” is “magic.” It does transform everything into “Middle-Earth”—or the Pure Lands of Buddhism or the kingdom of heaven of Christianity and Islam.

As Tolkien says so beautifully:

“Far more powerful and poignant is the effect [of joy] in a serious tale of Faerie. In such stories, when the sudden turn comes, we get a piercing glimpse of joy, and heart’s desire, that for a moment passes outside the frame, rends indeed the very web of story, and lets a gleam come through.”

After a near seven year odyssey, visionary director Peter Jackson concludes his epic “tour-de-force” telling of “The Lord of the Rings”. His three part epic has brought audiences to their feet as each chapter pushed the envelope on how long a feature film presentation could be.

Probably the biggest box office gamble in Hollywood history finally concludes. But is the final installment worth waiting for or is it just some halfling dropping a ring into molten lava?

The third chapter picks up close to the conclusion of last winter’s “The Two Towers”. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are still being escorted by the waif and tormented Gollum (Andy Serkis) deep into enemy territory as the stranglehold of evil still threatens to overcome Frodo.

Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian McKellan), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) come upon Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) after the defeat of Saruman. The heroes return to Rohan where they are welcomed by King Theoden (Bernard Hill) and Eowyn (Miranda Otto).

But rising ever so quickly, the evil forces of Sauron look towards the weakening kingdom of Gondor for an epic defeat. Gondor’s capital Minas Tirith, homeland of fallen comrade Boromir (Sean Bean), is a classic warrior based city which has seen its powerful leadership wean with Boromir’s father and the kingdom’s steward, Denethor (John Noble).

If Gondor falls, the whole of Middle Earth will fall beside it. The heroes, the hobbits and the people of Rohan must once more lock swords with the evil of Sauron in hopes of securing of regal destiny for one of the heroes and the freedom of Middle Earth.

Can one small insignificant hobbit finally achieve his destiny? Can the forces of Sauron finally be destroyed? It comes down to this free-for-all and may the best man, woman, elf, dwarf, orc or hobbit win.

Peter Jackson’s conclusion is as long and drawn out as his previous films. Jackson begins his third chapter with a lot of slow key story points and eventually emerges into the epic battle for Minas Tirith. This battle is probably the best battle of the trilogy and is utter magic. The problem with this sequence being so good is that overshadows a lot of the rest of the film.

The struggle between Sam and Gollum is brilliant as Astin shows range he hasn’t used since the under-appreciated “Rudy”. Sean Astin’s Sam is a crowning achievement in this film. He so deserves an Oscar nomination for his powerful performance. He brings that character to another level beyond that of any hobbit in the film.

The Andy Serkis-Gollum CGI creation keeps getting more and more precious. (Please, forgive the pun!) I also loved the CGI creation of the giant spider. It was seamless and the whole sequence was amazing.

I also really enjoyed the separation of Merry and Pippin. It really allowed for each actor to show a different side of the hobbits. Each of their individual storylines was fun and it made for a more interesting journey this time around. I always felt they were under used and were insignificant compared to Sam and Frodo.

My biggest concern with the film was the ending. The film reaches about 7 different conclusions before the end credits. Each ending felt longer than the next because there was no flow or cohesion as we see a lot more than was needed. We love these characters but did we really need that extra 30 minutes?

I love the world of Middle Earth and all that dwell there. Peter Jackson has done what no other filmmaker ever dreamed of accomplishing with this project. Thanks, Pete for a wonderful journey.

4.5 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

Written: December 2003

While war and glory often go hand-in-hand in fantasy, the reality is – as Tolkien knew far too well himself – vastly different. We have the great fortune to be able to pursue our recreation in peace and without fear of true harm, but let us not forget that the weapons we may carry and their manner of use were devised not for fun, but for brutal and efficient killing. Few who walk upon the field of glory find it, and many do not walk back off at all.

“Wars are always lost, and War always goes on…” -J.R.R. Tolkien

“[Sam] was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man’s name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil at heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace.” -Ibid

Pour le 3e sommatif dans mon cours d’Images Numérisées 2, une affiche devant promouvoir une personnalité qui a marqué son temps faite qu’avec des images… heu numérisées. Des images passées au scanner, pour ceux n’ont pas saisi. ;P

Voilà.

It’s always hardest to do the middle film in a proposed trilogy of films.

The second film is always the maker or breaker of a franchise. In some of the most successful franchises of all time, the second film has gone on to eclipse its predecessor. Examples of these stellar sequels are series like “Aliens”, “Star Trek”, “Star Wars” and even James Bond.

The hurdle that director and Tolkien visionary Peter Jackson had to endure was making a middle film in his epic trilogy that has neither a beginning or ending. It is like filming a middle chapter of an unfinished novel. In some ways that is exactly what it is.

People expecting a recap of “Fellowship” will be disappointed since Jackson dives straight into the story almost with out pause. The story picks up within seconds of where “Fellowship” left off.

The Fellowship has been split. Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) are off to Mordor to deliver the ring into Mount Doom. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) are off to save hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) who have been captured by a troop of Orcs.

In the sequel, we find Frodo and Samwise lost in the Misty Mountains as they find themselves striking up a symbiotic friendship and alliance with the waif, Gollum (Andy Serkis). Gollum was driven insane when he possessed the “ring of power” now all he wants is to reclaim his “precious”. Can this creature be trusted or will this creature be the death of Frodo and Sam?

On the other front of the story, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli track their comrades to the kingdom of Mohan where they find a besieged kingdom that is about to overrun by the armies of the evil Saruman (Christopher Lee). A resurrected Gandalf (Ian McKellan) encourages the trio to join with King Theoden (Bernard Hill) to defend Rohan. Theoden leads his people and the trio to the legendary fortress Helm’s Deep where the final confrontation will be waged. Who will survive this battle? Will the fortress of Helm’s Deep fall? What did happen to Merry and Pippin and how will they figure into this chapter?

“Two Towers” is essentially three stories bridging the gap between the beginning and final confrontation with evil.

Jackson understands the scope of Tolkien’s Middle Earth as he finds a unique look for each of the kingdoms seen in this second Tolkien film. Tolkien and his master craftsmen built the castle of Rohan from scratch and etched out the fortress of Helm’s Deep from the walls of a rock quarry. They are truly amazing structures and Jackson uses them with passion and finesse.

The key performance of this film is the wonderful fully-digital Gollum. For once a computerized character seems to have a soul. The performance of the actor beneath the pixels shines through and he is amazing to watch in every frame. There is some humor in Gollum’s madness as he struggles with his loyalties but it’s the scenes where Gollum reacts and does things on his own that are more remarkable than his obvious psychological struggle. You can’t but feel for this misplaced creature.

I always thought that the first film took way to long to build momentum. I also felt the same about the novel. In the second film, Jackson continues the momentum he built in the third act of Fellowship. There are definitely lulls in a film of this length but Jackson never allows his audience to be bored as he delivers new and exciting things to look at in awe. The shame is that there are a lot of these spectacles that take away from the actors.

I continue to sing Viggo Mortensen’s praises in this film as I did the previous one. I also really started to enjoy John Rhys-Davies performances as Gimli the dwarf. I also have always loved the forever creepy actor Brad Dourif and I am positive there is no one out there who could have been as oozy as Brad was playing Grima Wormtongue. I liked Miranda Otto’s damsel Eowyn but I wish there were more meat in the role for this capable actress.

The biggest fault of this part of the epic trilogy is that it is the middle film. There are a lot of signs where the film could have gotten lost but Jackson stayed his course. I am sure that when we finally see the end of this epic journey the middle film will be looked on as a great bridge. There is a lot to be celebrated in this film but for people who aren’t familiar with the material they will be lost.

4.25 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

Written: December 2002

New Zealand director and visionary Peter Jackson spent over two years of filming time to bring forth the vision created by fantasy guru J.R.R Tolkien. His epic masterpiece was deemed unfilmable in its whole but Jackson’s passion helped him begin an epic quest of his own. The first of three books of Tolkien’s masterpiece is the “Fellowship of the Ring”.

Young Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is a hobbit. Hobbits are curious little people who live the simple life in a far off pocket known as the Shire in the world known as Middle Earth. Frodo welcomes the wise wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellan) to his town of Hobbiton on the eve of his Uncle Bilbo’s (Ian Holm) 118th birthday. Uncle Bilbo is an adventurer and the most curious of all the hobbits in Hobbiton. But Bilbo hides a secret that could undo the very fabric of Middle Earth itself.

3000 years previous, an evil sorcerer Sauron wielded a “ring” that could destroy armies and bring Middle Earth to its knees. In the wake of that victory, a desperate human general slices off Sauron’s fingers and the ring falls into his hands. The ring is pure evil and it can bring even the strongest man to his knees. The elves plead with the general to destroy the ring but to no avail. Eventually the ring is lost and thought destroyed after the general is killed and over the course of time it falls into Bilbo’s hands. It is this ring that could destroy all of Middle Earth.

Gandalf confronts Bilbo after his birthday party about the ring and Bilbo reluctantly gives it up. Gandalf begins to realize which ring it is and isn’t sure what he must do to destroy it. All he knows is that the powers of darkness are building to reclaim the ring and bring the Dark Lord Sauron back to power.

Eventually Gandalf and the elves develop a nine member fellowship to bring the ring deep into Sauron’s domain and destroy it the fires of Mount Doom. Among that fellowship is Frodo, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Boromir (Sean Bean), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) the dwarf, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) the elf, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) the hobbit, Pippin (Billy Boyd) the hobbit and Samwise (Sean Astin), Frodo’s ever reliable friend. For the next three years we will follow these adventurers through Middle Earth as they embark on their epic quest.

Peter Jackson’s epic storytelling deserves the hype the Hollywood machine has been able to push behind it. From the truly evil monsters to the brilliant sets, “Fellowship” embraces the Tolkien vision with passion. You can tell that this film was created by people who loved the books. There is richness and eye-candy in this film like none seen this year.

The first amazing thing I noticed was how cleverly the film depicts the differences in heights of the hobbits, humans, dwarves and elves. I was always a curious to see if they could pull that feat off. They do it with flawless brilliance. The almost giant Gandalf stumbling around Bilbo’s house and thrilling battles involving a lot of different sized people.

I did love Jackson’s craftsmanship of the creatures in the film. They are utterly brilliant. I liked how each one is something we have never seen before. I loved the Black Riders and the Cave Troll. This troll is the way a troll is supposed to be and he is so more believable than say the troll in “Harry Potter”. I loved the whole troll sequence.

Jackson’s epic beginning isn’t without its faults. It truly is a site to behold if you can handle the enormous running time of 178 minutes. Theatres should acquire “lazy-boys” for this theatric experience. Tolkien’s epic masterpiece was deemed unfilmable because of the tome of content housed in the trilogy. The running time is what deemed it that. For any filmmaker it is truly hard to overcome that challenge. What makes the film’s epic running time bearable at times is the powerful score by Howard Shore. This truly is an amazing piece of filmmaking but even the most brilliant and beautiful can wear out their welcome.

Having heard the books read by my mother and having fond memories of the Ralph Bakshi version of the books, I was puzzled with the film’s depiction of Boromir. For me, Boromir was a valiant, courageous and honorable warrior who dreamed of bringing honor back to his homeland of Gondor. It isn’t until he touches the ring that his honor begins to subside and he begins a conflict of honor and desire. In the books, as I remember, Boromir was the fiercest of the Fellowship and did all he could to protect the ring and the hobbits.

Jackson’s vision of Boromir comes off as a twisted, scheming warrior who has an ulterior motive throughout. Where is the Boromir I knew? I won’t hold this factor against the film because Tolkien characters can be interpreted in different ways. I also had problems with the depiction of Elrond but that could be just me as well.

Jackson’s “Fellowship” is an utterly beautiful beginning and should be commended on a film that delivers on the hype surrounding it. “Fellowship” is all I wanted in the epic telling of the classic quest-story but being so close to the trilogy it wasn’t any more or less than I thought it would be. That truly is a compliment in these days of over-hyped extravaganzas.

4.5 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

Final Note: I would like to make a short statement on how this film is being handled for its release. Some of us in the press core have had a hard time seeing this film and thus the reason for my narrowly early review. I am not laying any blame. In fact I would like to commend the people who worked on the project because of the hype surrounding it has been insane. No vision this extraordinaire should be held back. My question mainly lies in will we be going through this for the next two installments? Tolkien’s vision is about honor and overcoming overwhelming odds shouldn’t we as humans aspire to this vision.

Written: December 2001

Una de las muy honrosas excepciones a ese dicho popular que dice “libro bueno, peli insufrible y viceversa” (me lo acabo de sacar de la manga, o de los dedos, mejor dicho), es la trilogía “El Señor de los Anillos”.

Sufriré, con dignidad y entereza que alguien levante la cejita y me diga que soy una friki, pero hay tantos mundos en ese mundo!!, tantas aventuras!!, tantas reflexiones!!, tantas….!!!…bueno, en fin, abreviando: que me gustó mucho el libro. Y sí, respecto a JRR Tolkien, era una auténtica gafapasta. Me leí todo lo que cayó en mis manos; El granjero de Ham, El Silmarillion, Los cuentos inconclusos, El hobbit… y lo peor, no los leí una vez, no, los leí cada vez que tenía la sensación de que todo en el mundo real se estaba volviendo demasiado gris.

A lo que voy, que me disperso… y esto es un post de cine. Cuando me enteré que iban a rodar la trilogía, la verdad es que me sentó como un tiro. Ya se habían hecho unos intentos anteriormente, en particular recuerdo uno abominable en que mezclaban dibujos y personas reales, y temía que fuesen a mancillar mis imágenes de La Tierra Media, de los dominios de Sauron, o del bosque de Tom Bombadil, y que pusieran otras caras y otras ropas a Frodo, a Golum, a Elrond, al Montaraz, a Eowin, a Gandalf, a Legolas, a Galadriel.

Estrenaron la primera película: “La Comunidad del Anillo“. Y allá que me fui, cargada de malos presagios, y sintiéndome infiel a la edición de Minotauro que tantas veces había tenido entre mis manos. Pero, empezó la proyección; y allí estaba la Tierra Media, exactamente igual como la había imaginado, los hobbit eran tal cual, los elfos eran etéreos y hermosos, los poderes del anillo así de absorbentes, y efectivamente la raza de los Hombres, con Aragorn al frente, eran los más amargos y desangelados, en ese mundo imaginario. Salí tan feliz, pero tan feliz, que habría podido pasarme otras tres horas volviéndola a ver. ¡¡ Que gran momento !! , supongo que para un cinéfilo eso es el cine, salir tocado, y no simplemente haber ido a dejar pasar unas horas comiendo palomitas.

Vi las dos siguientes entregas. Me siguieron gustando mucho. Pedí a los Reyes Magos que me regalaran la edición extendida del DVD cuando saliera. Y conservo la reproducción de los Argonaths, esas estatuas enormes que guardaban un paso y que representaban a los reyes antiguos. Y reconozco, que en mi caso y pese a ausencias notables, esas películas conservan el mismo espíritu  del libro.

Reconozco que fue un privilegio sentirse dentro de la película, comprenderla, ser partícipe, sabedor de futuros y sorprendido mirón de los paisajes imaginados y que resultan existir. Si, definitivamente el cine, a veces, es PURA MAGIA.

]]> http://samwt.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/where-is-luthien/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:10:50 +0000 tulkas1 http://samwt.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/where-is-luthien/

She gave up her immortality to be joined with him.  1,000 years had passed and eternity to come.  His mortality was inevitable.  His life may be “thrice that of mortal men” but even still, mortality was his doom.

His wife passed into Eressea centuries before.  He grew weary of the conflict that ensnared the lives around him.  His only daughter was to sail unto eternity with him.  He now would choose to accept the grief of this departure.  She had chosen mortality.  However, he gave an Ultimatum to the mortal man.  He must accept the Kingship to which he is heir to.  His exile must cease.

She gave up her immortality for his hand in marriage.

He gave his daughter to a mortal man.

He must rise the occasion, become who he was born to be, and claim the Crown that was lost centuries ago.

—–

What will she sacrifice?   Will her father bless the union?

Will I lead courageously and claim the Responsibility that I am heir to?

—–

Where is Tinúviel? Undómiel?

~Tulkas

….. but even in the gloom and despite all windings of the road he knew whither he wished to go, and he did not falter, as long as there was a path that let towards his goal.

J.R.R Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, 1966. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.

I am currently reading a book which has allegedly sold more than twice as many copies around the world than there are people living in Britain. JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings‘, according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, er, I mean according to Wikipedia, has been purchased 150 million times since it was first published in 1954. By Wiki-reckoning it is the second most popular fictional work of all time, coming in 50 million copies shy of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens. Pretty impressive, until you read that the Bible is estimated to have sold somewhere between 2.5 and 6 billion and Chairman Mao’s ‘Little Red Book’ has been snapped up by at least 800 million and perhaps as many as 6.5 billion paying customers. The Koran is high up the list too, lest Islam should feel aggrieved that Christians and Communists are hogging the limelight, as they did for much of the 20th century.

Of course such figures are bunk, really. Barcodes and digital tracking have only been in existence for a relatively short time compared to the lifespan of the religious tomes included in the list. How exactly can anyone know how many copies of a book like The Bible have been sold over a span of some two thousand years? ‘Ring Ring!’ “Hello?” “Oh hello, is that the Pope?” “Yes it is, who is calling?” “Hello, my name is Bernard, I am calling from Wikipedia. Could you spare a few moments of your time to talk to us about sales of your book?” “My book?” “You know, the one you had ghost-written. What’s it called? Let me look at my list again. Oh yes, The Bibble.” “You mean The Bible?” “That’s the one. How many units have you shifted this past two millennia?” “Perhaps I should get my office to call you back.” “Sure thing.” “Anything else I can do for you? A signed Book of Psalms, perhaps?” “No, you’re alright.”

Anyway, I’m reading Tolkien again for a couple of reasons. One is because I’ve been under the weather and there is nothing like a huge book to plough through when illness makes concentrating on other things difficult. And the beauty of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is that one can drop off in the middle of some of the interminably long songs and poems by the elves or the dwarves, and wake up several pages later when the ditty has finally ended. But the other reason I’ve returned to a book I first read when I was about sixteen and have reread on quite a few occasions since, is because I have recently read the ‘Inkheart‘ triilogy by Cornelia Funke. I am new to her work (as happens so often these days, the film drew me to the novels) and became so immersed in the Inkworld that I could not help but compare the reading experience with that first time I read Tolkein. They are miles apart in style and divergent in tone but Funke has achieved what few beyond Tolkien have achieved – she has conjured up an entire world from her own imagination which, despite its dangers and tragedies, almost seems preferable to the real world. Why? For the same reason many of us wish we could slip inside Tolkien’s pages and spend time in Middle Earth: the Inkworld and the world of the Hobbits are worlds of honour, of valour and of the kind of romantic heroism which seems sadly lacking in our own times. Our heroes, according to the gutter press and commercial television, are self-obsessed wannabe celebrities and people who appear in soap-operas on TV. Call me strange and bookish if you must but who would you rather have at your side in a crisis, Leona Lewis and Katie Price or a couple of doughty hobbits and an axe-wielding dwarf?

“Like wow, dude. I wonder what the prize was.”

“Prize for what, dude?”

“For winning the New Word of the Year Award, dude!”

“They’re giving out awards for new words? Who is?”

“The, um, New Oxford American Dictionary, says here.”

“Somebody’s sales projections are down, I see. So what’s the word?”

“Unfriend.”

“That’s a new word? I don’t think so, dude. Tolkien used it in his writings, like, three decades ago. And it says here that the word was first used in Scotland in like 1275 CE.”

“Tolkien, schmolkien, dude. Facebook’s where it’s at these days. Some dude gets obnoxious, and you wanna kick him outa your space, you click a button and unfriend him. It’s new, and it’s gnarly.”

“I thought that was defriend, dude, not unfriend.”

“But, dude, I want to have a D friend.”

“Only if she comes by it naturally, dude. And she doesn’t keep her personality where you appear to be keeping your brains.”

“Dude, that’s unfriendly!“

“Go ahead, dude. You think you can push that button faster than I can, you got another think coming!”

“Yeah?“

“Yeah!“

  - O Ceallaigh
Copyright © 2009 Felloffatruck Publications. All wrongs deplored.
All opinions are mine as a private citizen.

¡Aiya Amigos!

La Sociedad Tolkiendili de México, A.C. se complace en invitarles al magno evento “J.R.R. Tolkien: el Hombre y el Mito”, el cual se llevará a cabo los días 21 y 22 de noviembre en la libreria Mauricio Achar (mejor conocida como Gandhi de Miguel Ángel de Quevedo), a partir de las 14:00 horas.

Habrá conferencias, música y cine relacionados con la vida y obra fantástica y académica de este importante autor. También, como evento especial, contaremos con la participación de una invitada muy especial: Andrea Chapela, escritora mexicana de fantasía y autora del libro “La Heredera“.

¡Concédanle un espacio a la fantasía y a la literatura y por favor acompañenos!

SOCIEDAD TOLKIENDILI DE MÉXICO

Espero verlos en el evento. Si tienen dudas, pueden preguntarme o bien estar al tanto de la página de la STM, AC.

Sábado 21 de noviembre

Tolkien en la cultura popular contemporánea

Charla sobre la presencia e influencia de la obra de Tolkien en diversas manifestaciones actuales de la cultura popular, como el cine y las series televisivas, los videojuegos, la música, los cómics y el manga, los juegos de mesa y de rol, además de la literatura fantástica.

Hunt of Gollum

Proyección del cortometraje dirigido por Chris Bouchard sobre un pasaje de El señor de los anillos, en el que Aragorn sale en persecución de Gollum-Smeagol. Producido en Inglaterra por Independent On Line Cinema y estrenado en 2009 (subtitulada en español).

La Tierra Media: el regalo de un profesor

Explicación sistemática de los principales rasgos del mundo mitológico creado por Tolkien: su carácter y funcionamiento, su cronología, su geografía y sus habitantes.

El canto de Yavanna

Audiovisual comentado sobre la creadora del mundo vegetal en la mitología de la Tierra Media.

El nuevo lay de Sigurd y Gudrun

Lectura, en inglés (con su correspondiente traducción), de fragmentos de la versión escrita por Tolkien en verso antiguo de la leyenda de los nibelungos, recién publicada en mayo de 2009.

Domingo 22 de noviembre

Tolkien: el hombre

Charla sobre la vida de Tolkien, sus momentos definitorios como ser humano, académico y escritor, su contexto social histórico y sus convicciones estéticas, religiosas, políticas y académicas.

Mr. Bliss

Proyección de la animación de esta historia escrita y dibujada por Tolkien para sus hijos, realizada por la Sociedad Tolkien de Rusia con base en los dibujos del autor (subtitulada en español).

Tolkien, el otro autor

Plática sobre las obras literarias menos conocidas de JRR Tolkien, las que no tratan sobre la Tierra Media, su poesía y sus textos filológicos.

Un invitado de Fantasía. La joven escritora mexicana de fantasía Andrea Chapela, autora de La heredera, publicado por Editorial Urano en 2009, charla con el público sobre su obra.

Canciones de la Tierra Media

Concierto de piezas musicales inspiradas en la obra de JRR Tolkien, a cargo del Taller de Música de la STM, AC   Composiciones propias y de otros artistas.

Más de un interesado en leer la obra de JRR Tolkien me ha preguntado con qué libro empezar. Mi primera advertencia es que para leer a este autor hay que tener una buena predisposición a la fantasía… caso contrario es mejor que ni lo intenten.

Pero vayamos al orden de lectura, hay tres opiniones en este sentido:

1. Están los que piensan que primero hay que leer El Silmarillion, porque en él se cuenta el inicio de los tiempos y se describe la creación del mundo imaginado por el autor, incluyendo lo sucedido desde antes de la aparición de Hombres, Elfos y demás criaturas. Allí encontrarán todas las historias de los días antiguos.

El Hobbit sería el segundo libro de la lista. En éste, Bilbo vive una gran aventura. Es un libro para niños muy logrado, único en su tipo, que en definitiva termina sirviendo de bisagra entre El Silmarillion y El Señor de los Anillos.

En El Señor de los Anillos, entonces, Bilbo cede protagonismo a Frodo. Aquí se une todo ese mundo fantástico creado en El Silmarillion, con parte de esa ingenuidad de El Hobbit . Este intento de unidad de todos los relatos lleva a Tolkien al punto de incluir al viejo Tom Bombadil, que no termina de encajar en ese contexto (de ahí la gran pregunta ¿Quién es Tom Bombadil?).

Por último, habría que caer presos del consumo compulsivo, y leer Cuentos Inconclusos, El Libro de los Cuentos Perdidos, todos los cuentos que escribió el autor y que no tienen como marco la Tierra Media, todos los libros publicados por su hijo Christopher, todos los libros que hablan sobre su obra, los que la enulan, y todos los demás etcéteras.

2. Luego están los que opinan que hay que leer la obra en estricto orden de publicación. Esto correspondería, según ellos, al deseo del autor en cuanto al orden de lectura.
No estoy de acuerdo con esta perspectiva ya que esto no es del todo cierto. Tolkien hubiera querido publicar mucho más y mucho antes de lo que se publicó, y mucho dependió de los deseos de las editoriales, las circunstancias socioeconómicas, y su propia dedicación a la obra.
El estricto orden de publicación termina siendo tan arbitrario entonces como cualquier otro método. Sólo se puede decir a favor de esta opinión, que al conocer el autor qué estaba publicado y qué sabía el lector previo a cada publicación, podría haber modificaciones en el material para ajustarse a esa realidad.

3. La tercera opinión es, sin más preámbulos, la mía.
Si se tiene el deseo de leer a JRR Tolkien, primero habría que leer El Hobbit, pero sólo si a uno le gustan los libros para niños. caso contrario, saltearlo.
Luego (o directamente) El Señor de los Anillos, la obra más famosa de Tolkien, que une todos sus relatos y todas sus pasiones. Es el libro más popular del autor y el que todo lo une.
Si se disfrutó esa lectura, no olvidar el cuarto tomo, que contiene unas cuantas perlitas muy interesantes (en la edición de un solo tomo está incluido), se trata de Apéndices de El Señor de los Anillos.
Más tarde, si (y sólo si) uno realmente ama la lectura y este mundo fantástico, entonces sí El Silmarillion, obra que JRR Tolkien no llegó a publicar, dedicó casi toda su vida a escribir y reescribir, y Christopher a quien le perdonamos todo lo demás por esto compiló y publicó.
Ya si uno se enamoró perdidamente de estas historias resultará totalmente imperdible Cuentos Inconclusos (mi favorito).
Del resto de los libros recomiendo poco y nada, casi todo es material que Tolkien no quería publicar y decidió cambiar. Si alguno de los temas son de especial interés se puede buscar cuál de la infinidad de libros publicados por Christopher trata sobre eso.
Sólo para fanáticos empedernidos: Cartas.
Y, desde mi perspectiva, los libros que no están ambientados en la Tierra Media puede leerse en cualquier momento, tal como se mezcla con la lectura de un libro de otro autor.

Por lo menos así lo veo yo.

Forbes has released its annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities. To make the list, a dead celebrity must have earned at least $6 million in the past year. Missing from this year’s list is Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Steve McQueen. At number one: a fashion designer.

1. Yves Saint Laurent: $350 million
2. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein: $235 million combined
3. Michael Jackson: $90 million
4. Elvis Presley: $55 million
5. JRR Tolkien: $50 million
6. Charles Schulz: $35 million
7. John Lennon: $15 million
8. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel): $15 million
9. Albert Einstein: $10 million
10. Michael Crichton: $9 million
11. Jimi Hendrix: $8 million
12. Aaron Spelling: $8 million
13. Andy Warhol: $6 million

Pasaron unos diez años desde que leí por primera vez Dune.

Para ese entonces ya había leído todos los libros de JRR Tolkien, más los que su hijo Christopher tenía publicados. Pero no había aprendido la lección, y así fue como me llegó a las manos Dune Messiah y no resistí la tentación.

Hoy en día llevo leídos todos los que escribió Frank Herbert, más la mayoría de los que su hijo Brian escribió (junto a Kevin J. Anderson), y sigo sin escarmentar… y eso que abandoné a Christopher en su cuarto o quinto refrito de la historia de Turin…

Decía, que hace diez años leí Dune y me encantó. Es un libro maravilloso. Un must sin lugar a dudas.

Creo que hay sólo dos caminos posibles:
1. Leer sólo el primer libro y negarse rotundamente a leer una línea más. La historia cerrará perfectamente, con un final por completo coherente.
2. Embarcarse en la saga completa, sabiendo que nunca llegará a su fin (no mientras haya un Herbert para continuarla).

Al menos Brian es más sincero que Christopher, que nos quiere seguir haciendo creer que encuentra textos de su padre en los lugares más insólitos y que él simplemente edita.

En otro momento escribiré con más detenimiento sobre estos libros. Por ahora los dejo con un link al sitio oficial de dune, y con la famosa letanía contra el miedo…

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.