SFScope friend Andrew Porter alerts us to Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands, an exhibition at the British Library, running through 25 September.
The exhibition is described thus: “From William Blake to the 21st-century suburban hinterlands of J G Ballard, Writing Britain examines how the landscapes of Britain permeate great literary works. It will allow visitors to read between the lines of great works of English literature, discovering the secrets and stories surrounding the works’ creation, shedding new light on how they speak to the country today.
“Over 150 literary works, including many first-time loans from overseas and directly from authors: sound recordings, videos, letters, photographs, maps, song lyrics and drawings—as well as manuscripts and printed editions.”
There are many special events, requiring separate tickets, during the run of the show. But the concluding event may be of especial interest to our readers: “The Hobbit at 75″, on Friday 14 September. Tickets for this event are £7.50. “J.R.R Tolkien first introduced the vast mythological world of Middle Earth in his classic tale for all ages, The Hobbit, published on this day in 1937. From the gentle rural landscape of The Shire, a band of hobbits, wizards, elves and dwarves set out on an great and timeless quest.
“In the run up to the release of part one of Peter Jackson’s filmed version of the tale, join a celebration of this fabulous and hugely influential book: with readings, conversation and special guests.”
The British Library is at 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB, England. For more details on the library, see bl.uk. The web site for Writing Britain is www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/writingbritain/index.html.