Category Archives: Book news and reviews

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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JRR Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf: bring on the monsters

Posted on 22 March 2014 by John Garth

This week, HarperCollins announced that a long-awaited JRR Tolkien translation of Beowulf is to be published in May, along with his commentaries on the Old English epic and a story it inspired him to write, “Sellic Spell”. It is just the latest … Continue reading →

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Basil Bunting, a born iconoclast

Posted on 21 March 2014 by John Garth

Review: Richard Burton,A Strong Song Tows Us: The Life of Basil Bunting (Infinite Ideas. ISBN 9781908984180) Basil Bunting has no secure footing on the sliding scree of literary reputation. He wrote fairly challenging modernist poetry, did so sporadically between long … Continue reading →

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Tolkien’s Beowulf translation and Sellic Spell to be published

Posted on 19 March 2014 by John Garth

Just a brief post on a big piece of Tolkien news. I’ve been busy today in the pages of the Guardian and the Telegraph as it was announced that Tolkien’s long-awaited translation of Beowulf is to be published at last. … Continue reading →

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