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The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth
- Narrated by: Christopher Tolkien
- Length: 56 mins
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The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth
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Summary
First ever audio edition of one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most important poetic dramas, that explores timely themes such as the nature of heroism and chivalry during war.
The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son was originally published in the 1953 edition of Essays and Studies. In December of that year, J.R.R. Tolkien took possession of a reel-to-reel tape recorder and, some time during the first few months of 1954, decided to record ‘the whole thing on tape’ as a way of ‘testing’ the performative quality of the dramatic dialogue between Tídwald and Torhthelm.
For the older Tídwald, Tolkien adopted a slower, deeper voice, perhaps akin to ‘the voice of Gandalf’ that W.H. Auden recalls hearing as an undergraduate, as noted in Humphrey Carpenter’s J.R.R. Tolkien, A Biography. For the younger, more idealistic Torhthelm, Tolkien used a lighter, more spirited tone to convey his youth. Christopher Tolkien notes that his father added sound effects, such as the ‘creaking and bumping of the waggon wheels, by moving a piece of furniture in his study’.
This recording, together with an introduction and the two accompanying essays read by Christopher Tolkien, was released on cassette tape in 1992, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of J.R.R. Tolkien and the 1001st anniversary of the Battle of Maldon. It was presented as a gift to the participants of the Tolkien Centenary Conference, Keble College, Oxford, and is now available as an audiobook for the first time.
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What listeners say about The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Zach Bromfield
- 14-12-23
50% original recording by J.R.R. Tolkien himself, 50% commentary on another saga by Christopher Tolkien
The original recording complete with improvised sound effects from Tolkien on the Homecoming tale is 25 mins long, while the other commentary is roughly the same length. More of a quiet afternoon listen rather than a full epic. A privilege to hear the great professor’s voice as well as his son’s. If you’re out of credit spend ideas and are a devout fan of Tolkien, this little hour listen is the ideal treat.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-03-23
Great 😍🙌
This was Great to listen a good story thank you 😍 🙌 🙏 📚 ❤️
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-05-23
inside an academics mind set
clear, concise, well thougjt through, resurrecting chivalry oncd more...only with yet another dimension. well worth a listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Aaron Ives
- 26-04-23
Superb!!!
A superb reading of one of Tolkien's most fascinating works! you can't go wrong whenever it's read by the professor himself and Christopher! highly recommend!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 31-03-23
great but wished it contained all the book
This audiobook is great and I dare to say necessary if you want to read Battle of Maldon book.
It's a rare gem and the quality is surprisingly good (compared to what we had from that rare cassette tape), I had great fun listening to Tolkien and his son's voice.
I only wished HarperCollins hired someone to record the rest of the book, this audiobook only contains the 1st part of the book (2nd and 3rd part and appendicitis and introduction of editor are missing), so I had to buy the book too to complete the experience, which is kind of sad and not a good tactic dealing with Tolkien's dedicated fans
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3 people found this helpful