2025 saw the first edition of the Tolkien Tagung Schweiz in Zurich (see my report) and 2026 it returned to the beautiful Asien-Orient-Institut at the University of Zurich again. And yes, it was...
The new year has come and gone and I am in a pensive mood. I am tired and in pain, by the by, but that is not going to keep me from my...
I have always wanted to give a talk titled Gandalf: the perfect mentor for the underachievers. Now, this conference would have my been my chance to do so but I am doing the...
Your artistic gateway into Tolkien What drew you to dedicate an entire album to the poetry of J. R. R. Tolkien? Was there a specific poem, moment, or emotional experience that convinced you...
If you happen to know me a little – or this blog – then you do know that I am probably the Tolkienist in the world who has written most about Tolkien’s favourite...
On November 18, 2015, a video by the singer Ulmo Ocin hit Youtube. It is titled MANDALO. In about two months time it was to amass more than two million views – a...
Even though I have never managed to get “Lord of the X” into the snowclone database I am still happy to use it for any silly title I can come up with, like...
The Leipzig Book Fair is by far my favourite as it exudes a love for reading and readers that a business-centred space like Frankfurt seems to lack at times. The whole town of...
A running commentary, mild rant, and appreciation by Marcel R. Bülles aka the Tolkienist I was born to do a review of this particular romantic comedy. I will tell you why. I have...
This year’s visit to England was supposed to be a very special one as it was largely spent under the stars of Middle-earth. An elf personally ensured that I planned my annual London...
It is time for another edition of Not a Tolkien quote and this time ’tis about silence. It is my first quote with Bluesky that felt so off that I needed to have...
This is the second post on my visit to the Tolkien Tapestries (and carpets) exhibition at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris which ran from March 21st-May 18th, 2025. It is a rather...