The merit of such a strong appeal for the fantasy genre today must be attributed in large part to the unprecedented impact achieved with Peter Jackson's trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings". This very successful film adaptation - the first episode of which dates back to 2001 - sparked public attention and mass influence never seen before, marking a triumphant victory at the Oscars with eleven statuettes with the final title "The Return of the King ” and radically changing the entire landscape of the entertainment industry, including spin-offs, video games, theme parks and television shows.

Even the latest very expensive Amazon Prime television series “The Rings of Power” is the result of the incredible potential that this extraordinary world still manages to offer. But obviously, both Jackson's epic vision and the most recent adaptation operations were possible thanks to the majestic work carried out by JRR Tolkien; writer, philologist and linguist considered among the most important English authors of the last century.

And precisely on the 16th of this month , an unmissable exhibition entitled "TOLKIEN" was inaugurated in Rome, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, entirely focused on the figure of man, scholar and writer, open to the public until 11 February 2024. The exclusive event commemorates the fifty years since the author's death and the year of publication in our country of the masterpiece "The Hobbit".

In this excursus we will delve deeper into the writer's academic experiences, narrative vision and poetic sensitivity. An unprecedented journey for the Italian public , capable of satisfying both neophytes and the most devoted enthusiasts in discovering more deeply - among many things - his invaluable knowledge of the ancient world and how it was a fundamental starting point for the process creative.

An exhibition of similar dimensions dedicated to his figure had never been set up in Italy before. Compared to international events that have taken place in the past in Oxford in 2018, in Paris in 2020 and in Milwaukee in 2022, the Roman one will be the first ever event to focus specifically not on the works, but precisely on the human aspect behind which their priceless lies value.

We will learn more about the personality of the man of letters as a father, friend and scholar. We will discover his studies and publications that are still very influential in the academic context today, especially regarding ancient and Middle English literature. We will delve even deeper into the figure of the narrator and creator of the magical setting better known as "Middle-earth".

And not only that: considerable space will be reserved for the vast range of products relating to the same universe; in art, cinema, TV and comics. The exhibition itinerary is therefore outlined among the rows of manuscripts, autographs, letters, memorabilia, photographs and works of art that make up the complex mosaic of such a multifaceted and unique author.

Furthermore, considering the extraordinary significance of the event, some of Tolkien's own testimonies on the relationship he has established with Italy over the years resonate even more strongly, as can be seen from the testimonies on the trips he made to Venice and Assisi in 1955, from the many contacts - direct and indirect - with various Italian scholars and intellectuals and from the following passage taken from one of his letters: «I am in love with Italian, and I feel quite lost without the possibility of trying to speak it».

Giovanni Scanu

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