At last, I too have something to post on this thread!
The Might and I got together this Friday at a
Tolkien reading in Karlsruhe (photographic evidence to be presented shortly).
We met in front of the bookshop where the reading was to be held and, thanks to the photo page thread, recognized each other instantly. The reading, organized by the local section of the German Tolkien Society, was a rather informal affair - about a dozen people tucked into a passage between a bookshelf and a book display - , but nonetheless quite enjoyable. Various passages from LotR as well as from Letters and
Roverandom were read, giving a nice impression of the broad spectrum of styles and registers our Professor wielded. I especially loved the rendition of
A Long-Expected Party, delivered with gusto by an excellent reader who brought all those gossiping hobbits to life perfectly.
Afterwards, we retreated to an Irish pub and talked Tolkien (and one or two other things, but mostly Tolkien) to our hearts' content over a few Guinnesses (at least for
TM, while I, having to drive home, confined myself to what we call a radler in German). Time flew by, and I'm sure we could have gone on for a while still, if not for me having to leave in time to avoid falling asleep at the wheel.
TM is an amiable chap, and his German is incredible considering he's only been living in this country for five years. It was fun to talk to somebody about the Downs in RL who gets all the references - a new experience for both of us, and I'm sure we'll repeat it sometime or the other (preferably when I haven't got such a bad cough - I'll take your advice,
Miggy, and try to find some
athelas!).