The Tolkien Society Confirms Michael Tolkien Will Attend The Return of the Ring

The Tolkien Society is pleased to confirm that Michael Tolkien, grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, will be attending its summer event The Return of the Ring as a special guest.

Michael Tolkien

Michael Tolkien, the eldest grandson of Tolkien, will be coming to The Return of the Ring this August to talk about his two new children’s books, Wish and Rainbow, and how they relate to his grandfather’s work On Fairy-Stories. His talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session in which the audience will be free to ask Michael questions on any subject, including his recollections of Professor Tolkien.

The Return of the Ring takes place at Loughborough University, England on 16th-20th August 2012 with Michael Tolkien’s talk taking place on Saturday 18th. The Return of the Ring celebrates the forthcoming films and 75 years of The Hobbit. It is the follow-up to Tolkien 2005 that commemorated 50 years of The Lord of the Rings and which was recently described by Ring*Con founder Marcel Bülles as “probably the best Tolkien-related event in history”.

Michael Tolkien adds to the rapidly-expanding roster of guests that includes: performer of ‘One Man LOTR’ Charlie Ross; authors and academics Brian Sibley, Tom Shippey, Verlyn Flieger, Colin Duriez, John Garth and Corey Olsen; artist Ted Nasmith; directors of Born of Hope and The Hunt for Gollum Kate Madison and Chris Bouchard; and French Middle-earth re-enactment society The Company of the Green Dragon. To view all our guests, including Michael Tolkien, please go to: http://www.returnofthering.org/guests.php.

Lynn Whitaker, Chair of The Return of the Ring, said, “I am delighted that Michael Tolkien is coming to The Return of the Ring this summer. To fans of Tolkien’s great stories we are all interested to hear about the writings of Tolkien’s grandson and what he makes of On Fairy-Stories. Michael’s attendance also represents a unique opportunity for fans and scholars of J.R.R. Tolkiento hear first-hand accounts of what the Professor was like in person. This proves that The Return of the Ring is a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

For prices, and to book, please visit: http://www.returnofthering.org/register.php.