TOLKIEN DIGRESSION: Today is the sixty-fifth anniversary of J. R. R. Tolkien's presentation at the University of St. Andrews of his famous Andrew Lang lecture "On Fairy Stories." Professor Trevor Hart and his Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts at St. Mary's College has arranged a day seminar at the University, Tolkien: "On Fairy Stories" Here and Back Again, commemorating the event. I've just come from a reading by BBC Radio 4 presenter Nigel Ford of a reconstruction of the original lecture. To echo Professor Hart's comments afterward, it was a rare privilege to hear the essay read out as a lecture � the format for which it was originally composed. The oral version of such a skilled reader brings out many nuances that are easily glossed over in a silent reading. Shortly I will going to hear the new Andrew Lang lecture by Professor David Lyle Jeffrey: "The Future of Literary Studies: Was Tolkien Right?"

Many thanks to Professor Hart, his team of helpers and associates, the lecturers, and the University of St. Andrews for making this event happen. Tolkien fans, wish you could all be here.