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Old 09-19-2002, 04:31 AM   #1
HerenIstarion
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Sting The Tolkien Middle Age Club

Well, there two active clubs of the kind already, yet I found myself as non qualifiable for both. Coming Of Age one requires reading JRRT's works at least 18 years ago, Under Age to be less than 18 of age oneself. This Middle one is for those who are older than 18 yet read Tolkien for the first time less than 18 years ago.



Here we go:



I'm 24, going to be 25 soon. I've read The Hobbit back in 1989 and Smith of Wotton Major in 1990. Those two books introduced me to Tolkien, and I got hooked since the first read. Both books were in Russian translation, the latter by modern and more or less renowned Russian writer Nagibin. As far as I know, no one in my family confessed ever since of putting the books there, so I assume both were bought some time before due to the covers as "good for children" stuff. Bilbo on the cover looks like old Russian comical actor Leonov, [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] I still retain those books. The Hobbit was published in 1976, and The Smith in 1988



Then (I knew not English) I asked my grandma, who was going on trip to Russia, to bring me LoTR. I knew there was a sequel to the Hobbit from it's preface. She brought it indeed, yet only FoTR (very rare copy of that edition, Raduga Publishers I believe - by mistake cover is upturned - if you open the book normally, you get last page of the book upside down), and TT, and I spent 2 horrible years till 1993 inventing possible adventures that has befallen after Shelob, for The Return of the King was not yet translated and published. And than (I even remember the date, itwas 13th of February, 1993) I saw RoTK on the open fair, in the spot in Tbilisi called "Dry Bridge". All kinds of books, paintings and other artistic paraphernalia a sold there on weekends. I had no money with me, so I promised to pay twice as much as the seller asked, only if the book was still there when I return. I had to borrow money from my sister after an hour of begging (I was so excited she would not believe I needed it to bye a book, those elder sisters are apt to act so parentally sometimes, you know) And ran back like mad. The seller was puzzled indeed - he told me afterwards he was not able to sell it for three weeks!



Same year I started to learn English for the sake of reading Tolkien. (Preface to FoTR was unmerciful enough to reveal that there was more than Bilbo and Frodo, namely Silmarillion, and it was not translated to any language known to me then - Georgian or Russian)



And when I finally got hold of original Hobbit and LoTR (my university lecturer supplied me with them) I was very surprised to read some names, for Russian translators were russificating the book. Bet you can't get who Vseslavur is?

[ November 30, 2002: Message edited by: HerenIstarion ]
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