The Children of Húrin Release Party/Questions

This is a list of questions we will be asking our guest speakers. Whether you plan on attending the event or not you can add a question you would like us to ask. We ask that you try to think of original questions which relate to the guest and their background on Tolkien. Yes or No questions are not advised. After the event the answers will be posted on the wiki for those who couldn't attend the live event.

Johan Vanhecke

• Could you tell us a little about the Tolkien exhibit in 1992?
• You have been a member of the Tolkien Society for so long, can you tell us if much has changed over the years?
• How did you get into contact with Tolkien?
• Will you organise another Tolkien Exhibition in the future?
• How come you wrote a book on Tolkien?
• Will we get an English version of your book?
• How do you see the new Tolkien book The Children of Húrin?
• What is your favourite Tolkien book?
• Will you write more Tolkien books in the future, or are you working on one?

Michaël Devaux

• Could you tell us some more about La Feuille?
• What will be inside the upcoming La Feuille?

Pieter Collier

• Was there a specific book that started your obsession with collecting Tolkien?
• What is your most prized item in your collection?
• How has Tolkien collecting changed after the release of the films?

David Brawn

• How does it feel to know that you've read certain Tolkien texts before the fans were allowed to?
• Are there any plans to release other unpublished Tolkien materials in the future?
• Will there be a super deluxe edition of The Children of Húrin around Christmas?
• The Hobbit also has a special year; will there be any new Hobbits released?
• Do you think that The Children of Húrin will alter public perception of Tolkien's work as a whole, and if so, how?
• Will a Deluxe Edition of The Silmarillion be released any time in the future to match that of The Hobbit Anniversary Edition, The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition and the upcoming The Children of Húrin Deluxe Edition?
• Are there any additional editions of The Children of Húrin planned at this time?

Roger Garland

• Is there any particular scene or landscape from Tolkien that you have always wanted to depict but have not yet gotten to?
• What tale from The Silmarillion is most artistically inspirational to you?
• Do you have any advice for aspiring fantasy artists?
• Which artists have had an impact upon your work?

Jef Murray

• Do you have a favorite piece of art of yours?
• How did you come on the subject Tolkien?
• Did you make paintings about the tales by Tolkien before the movies and if so did the movies influence your art?
• Your works are always very colorfull, is there a particular reason why this is so?
• How is your creative process? How is the process from idea to finished painting?
• We see some wonderfull sketches in Parma Nole by your hand, ever thought of making large pencil drawings?
• Do you look forward to The Children of Húrin?
• Will you be making paintings around this subject?
• Your technique and style would be perfect to visualize The Ainulindalë; is this also your opinion?
• When I see your paintings I almost hear music, is music a part in your life?
• Where do you paint?
• Most Tolkien artists are very worried to miss any detail from Tolkien's descriptions, how do you see this?
• Was your image "Music of the Ainur" inspired at all by the similar engraving by Gustave Doré of Dante's Heaven?

Matt Blessing

• Could you tell us which original documents by Tolkien are in the Marquette?
• Do you have any plans to take pictures of the archive so fans can get a feel for how large the collection really is?
• Are most of the items donated or do you do a lot of purchasing?
• Are there any plans for a Tolkien Museum at Marquette?
• Don't you in your deepest heart feel that Tolkien's autographs etc. should be in an archive in England?
• If you could have advised William Ready with the benefit of hindsight, what would you have suggested he do differently in his negotiations with Tolkien?

Michael D.C. Drout

• Could you tell us some more about the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia?
• What was your hope for your readers? Do you feel you have succeeded?
• Do you have any plans for the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia in the future?
• Any news on Tolkien Studies Volume IV?
• Will you be working on any Tolkien related projects in the future?
• Do you have a Tolkien collection yourself?
• How did you get interested into Tolkien at the first place?
• Do you feel one can understand Tolkien without having a background in the Anglo-Saxon or Norse/Germanic cultures (and languages) he studied?

Mark T. Hooker

• In your interview with the website Tolkien Library (http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/mark-hooker-interview.htm), in answer to the question "why has Tolkien been so unpopular with the critics?" you said that Tolkien "wrote for an audience of one: himself," while we know that Tolkien shared his work in draft with the members of the Inklings. Could you comment on this seeming incongruity?
• What has been the Russian response to Tolkien after the fall of the Soviet Union?
• If you walk down the street into a bookstore in Moscow or Novgorod today, can you pick out a LOTR translation of your choice among Gruzberg, Rakhmanova, etc. just like walking through a cafeteria?
• Is there any sign of Tolkien translation into non-Russian tongues of the nations of the former Soviet block, e.g., Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, etc.?

Verlyn Flieger

• Your books tend to begin with motifs central to Tolkien's work such as light, time, and music. What do you see as the relationship between these motifs and what do they tell us about Tolkien's universe?
• After editing Smith of Wootton Major, how you do you see that work in relation to the legendarium?
• How do you view The Hobbit in relation to The Lord of the Rings and the "Silmarillion" legends?
• There has been much debate between you and Tom Shippey on how to best read and interpret Smith of Wootton Major. In your opinion, how well does SoWM function as an allegory?
• In a rather obscure quote, which appears in a Tolkien obituary, Robert Murray suggested that after Tolkien handed him a copy of Smith of Wootton Major, Tolkien said, "Here is a little counterblast to [C. S.] Lewis which I've written" (The Tablet 879). What do you think he meant by this?

Nils Ivar Agøy

• Were there any special challenges in translating The Children of Húrin into Norwegian?
• How do you see The Children of Húrin affecting public perception of Tolkien's work in Norway?
• You also translated The Silmarillion; are there any large differences in translating the part of Túrin Turambar and now The Children of Húrin?
• Since you have been so closely involved, working with the English text, did you find major changes of style, content, etc with the already published parts?
• Do you now have the feeling the story is indeed 'finished'?
• How long did it take to translate The Silmarillion and now The Children of Húrin?
• You have translated the Unfinished Tales as well, since most of the new Tolkien book comes from Unfinished Tales you have a good view of the new choice Christopher Tolkien took for the new book. Can you tell us a bit more about this?
• Is the new Tolkien book a big improvement compared to Unfished Tales?

John Garth

• What challenges and other interesting moments did you have researching Tolkien's wartime experiences?

Diana Glyer

• To what extent did Tolkien and Lewis help shape each other's invented universes?

Turbine

• What has been harder, pleasing the Tolkien fans or pleasing the gamers?
• Were you a Tolkien fan prior to creating the game?
• What would you say is the most innovative/unique aspect about LotRO?
• What was the most difficult task you faced and overcame?