Tolkien Reading Day 2020: The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún
Every year the Tolkien Society sponsors Tolkien Reading Day on March 25, the anniversary of the fall of Sauron:
It has been organised by the Tolkien Society since 2003 to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading favourite passages. We particularly encourage schools, museums and libraries to host their own Tolkien Reading Day events.
With the world in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, reading a bit of Tolkien can give us hope. Far from being an escape from reality, Tolkien’s works quite often take readers more deeply into what is truly real.
This year on Tolkien Reading Day I will be reading one of his posthumous works, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, published in 2009. I haven’t read it before, and I am looking forward to Tolkien’s take on an ancient Norse legend.
With my school out because of the pandemic, I am toying with the idea of streaming a live reading of something by Tolkien to the students. I am looking for something fairly short (around 5-10 minutes), and something that would appeal to all ages. Any recommendations?
