Tag Archives: Oxford

An award on behalf of Tolkien, 50 years on

Posted on 1 October 2023 by John Garth

It’s not every day that you receive an award also given to the director-general of Syrian antiquities, the director of archaeology at Troy and the director of the Colosseum in Rome. But that day came for me on 3 September. … Continue reading →

Posted in Tolkien’s creative spirit | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In search of T.W. Earp and the origin of ‘twerp’

Posted on 27 November 2022 by Peter Gilliver

In a guest post, Oxford English Dictionary historian and lexicographer Peter Gilliver sheds new light on one of the most curious characters to cross the young J.R.R. Tolkien’s path The classical scholar E.R. Dodds, who matriculated at Oxford a year … Continue reading →

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Oxford and the Olympics

Posted on 25 July 2021 by John Garth

[This was published in Oxford Today, the university’s alumni magazine, ahead of the 2012 London Olympics. The most dated things about it are the reference to a certain Mayor of London by the name of Boris, and Oxford Today itself, … Continue reading →

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Tolkien at Exeter College: Birth of a legend

Posted on 14 April 2017 by John Garth

In which I blow my own trumpet… When you picture J.R.R. Tolkien, it’s probably as a member of Oxford’s Inklings, writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the 1930s and ’40s, or in old age when fame … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 years of Middle-earth, Book news and reviews, John Garth’s writing, Tolkien in the First World War, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Teaching Tolkien in Las Vegas

Posted on 7 October 2016 by John Garth

Vegas brought out my worst vices. Handed carte blanche to indulge recklessly and obscenely for twelve months, I borrowed books from the university library in such numbers that when it came to returning them, I had to use a suitcase. I even … Continue reading →

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Fanfare for the common prof

Posted on 2 July 2014 by John Garth

Review: John Carey, The Unexpected Professor: An Oxford Life in Books (Faber. ISBN 9780571310920) My first encounter with John Carey was hearing him on Dickens at the St Cross Building – the English Faculty at Oxford University. His Violent Effigy … Continue reading →

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Assuming Character: Oxford’s new Story Museum

Posted on 15 May 2014 by John Garth

Facing a big throne nestled among an array of trumpety horns, the boy holds up a slotted board filled with words from a fantastical pick’n’mix. He steps up and perches on the cushioned seat. Trumpets blare. A voice announces: ‘Presenting … Continue reading →

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A celebration of words: The Oxford Literary Festival 2014

Posted on 3 April 2014 by John Garth

Christ Church dining hall, a model for the one at Hogwarts, rings out with the chants of children chanting ‘Set him free!’ Enter a hooded, robed figure — not Dumbledore, but an even more senior wizard, released briefly from enchanted … Continue reading →

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