Whether you are a devout follower of Tolkien’s work, or just a fan of the films or animated stories that have been produced from his writings, odds are you have entered into a discussion or two about the Hobbit series’ storyline (lazy Eagles).
It was in 1958 that J.R.R. Tolkien himself was in attendance of a small dinner hosted by fans of his work in the city in Rotterdam. The renowned author gave a speech, that to this day only live-on through transcripts by Christopher Tolkien. That has changed recently, as an actual recording of the speech has been found and will be produced through the Middle Earth Network and Legendarium.
The tapes were finally released by the Dutch collector that had kept them secret this whole time, “Like Smaug I am guarding my treasure, hissing at any collector who comes near,” René van Rossenberg, a Tolkien expert who has held the recordings stated. It was Jay Johnstone of Legendarium that convinced Rossenberg to restore, and release the media to the public. An event that already has fans eagerly awaiting the sure to be hyped release.
It’s a promising find, with Tolkien talking about the One Ring as a simple plot-device, used to create a sense of urgency for the story itself. The full details have not been released at this time, but more information is surely to be distilled from the collection in the near future.
