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Re: Miscellaneous links

Subject: Re: Miscellaneous links
by Trotter on 2008/11/12 11:17:16

A bit more info on the audio clip from the booklet that accompanies the CDs.

"J R R Tolkien
[1892-1973]
Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa

The Fellowship of the Ring
Interviewer: Denys Gueroult
Date of recording: 20/01/1965
Venue: Randolph Hotel, Oxford
Duration: 11.44 [extract]

This lengthy interview, nearly 40 minutes in total, is the longest surviving recording made by J R R Tolkien. It was recorded for the BBC Sound Archive and was not transmitted. The interview comprises a detailed discussion about his most celebrated work The Lord of the Rings (1954-5). By the mid 1960s, the time of this recording, the books had attained wide poularity on both sides of the Atlantic. As well as being an author of fantasy novels, Tolkien was professor of Anglo Saxon from 1925 to 1945, and Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 to 1959, at the University of Oxford."

Most of this interview has been transmitted in other areas but I don't recall having heard all of this interview. There are also some other great authors on the CD who I never expected to hear speaking, such as Arthur Conan Doyle, so I recommend this set of CDs. You can also get a set of US authors in the same series.