The skill, depth, and scope of JRR Tolkien's masterful writings are known worldwide. Tolkien is commonly acknowledged as one of the best fantasy authors in history, and his stories are cherished by millions. Eli and I certainly count ourselves among his most ardent fans. But even I didn't realise until recently that, on top of his skill as a writer, Tolkien was an incredibly accomplished artist as well.
Before my trip to the United Kingdom last summer, I was only ever familiar with Tolkien's map-making skills (which are awe-inspiring, particularly to a writer who tried to draw her own fantasy maps!) and the few rough sketches I had seen in various editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However, when Eli and I were wandering around Oxford University last August, we happened across a dark little gallery featuring the original artwork of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Philip Pullman... and at once my eyes were opened to Tolkien's extraordinary skill as an artist.
Tolkien (who lived from 1892 to 1973) grew up and spent most of his life in England. He was deeply interested in languages, storytelling, and artwork even as a small child, and he self-illustrated his stories from a young age. He sketched little scenes for his children as an adult, and we see the culmination of this skill in the artwork dedicated to Middle Earth, his creative masterpiece.
Eli and I were able to see several hand-painted originals in the gallery at Oxford, including 'Conversation with Smaug', 'Bilbo and the Eagle', 'The Trolls', and the 'Map of the Wilderland'. The most spectacular moment for me, though, was standing before the hand-drawn original covers that Tolkien designed for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the slideshow below, you'll see all of these pieces, along with many other illustrations that allowed Tolkien to express Middle Earth as he saw it.
Tolkien's preferred medium was watercolour, though even his ink-drawing of The Trolls is fantastic. If you're interested in a comprehensive review of Tolkien's artwork, check out JRR Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator (published by HarperCollins and Houghton Mifflin in 1995). As ever, my respect and awe of JRR Tolkien continues to grow.
You probably wouldn't guess that the movie to surpass The Lion King as the highest-grossing Disney-produced film of all time, win a Golden Globe, and knock Beyonce out of the number 1 spot on Billboard 200-album sales chart was a little-advertised 2013 film about two sisters living in Norway. But here it is, and Frozen has far surpassed expectations worldwide. In fact, it's now competing with Toy Story and Finding Nemo in terms of gross earnings and popularity.
Frozen is loosely based on the traditional fairy tale of 'The Ice Queen.' It is set in a small kingdom amidst the beautiful Nordic fjords. Two sisters, Elsa and Anna, are young princesses; the elder, Elsa, is heir to the throne. The two are best friends as children and have a deeply caring relationship. However, Elsa was born with the power to create ice and snow, and the sisters' relationship is shattered when Elsa almost kills little Anna on accident when they are playing. As they grow up, Elsa withdraws, keeping herself as far from Anna as she can, in fear that her powers will hurt Anna again. The rest of their story follows Anna's attempts to reforge her relationship with her sister and find true love.
There are two main themes that the film imparts to its viewers in this story. The first is shown through Elsa's internal battle with her inherent powers. Because they once hurt Anna, she believes they are a terrible curse and does everything she can to hide them. But eventually, Elsa's powers grow stronger, and she can't keep them hidden. When the truth finally comes out, Elsa is forced to abandon her home. Once in exile, Elsa sees for the first time that this integral part of her, which she always believed was a curse, can actually be incredibly beautiful and life-giving. In Idina Menzel's fantastic musical number, we see Elsa embracing her gift and coming to terms with who she is after years of anguish and self-hatred. This theme impresses upon viewers one of life's most important lessons: no matter what society and your peers believe, you are who you are, and you can only find happiness and love when you embrace this. Don't try to hide the things you are afraid of, or think are embarrassing, or that may set you apart. This aspect might be the most beautiful part of yourself, the thing you are most passionate about. 'Let it go' and be who you truly want to be!
'Let It Go' by Idina Menzel
The film's second theme deals with Anna, as a young woman, trying to find true love. Possibly my favourite part of the film comes when Anna meets and instantly falls for handsome Prince Hans. In typical Disney princess fashion, the two catch each other's eye, get to know a teensy bit about each other via musical number, and then believe they are desperately in love and wish to be married at once. Anna and Hans immediately go to Elsa to ask for her blessing, to which Elsa realistically responds: 'You can't marry a man you just met.' And later, when Anna teams up with down-to-earth mountain-man Kristoff, he splutters: 'Wait, you mean to tell me you got engaged to someone you just met that day?! Who marries a man they just met?!' After decades of the true-love-at-first-sight/first-kiss rubbish from Disney, and in an age when many young people consider true love and marriage without a second thought, this blast of reality is brilliantly refreshing. And it doesn't stop there. Anna discovers that Kristoff, who is ungainly, relatively unattractive, and rough around the edges, may actually be the man for her instead of 'perfect' Prince Hans. I like that this encourages children and young adults to see beyond people's appearances and place value in personality and character. Maybe the best person for you isn't necessarily the most handsome or suave one. And that's fine!
The critical point of the film centres around 'true love's kiss'. Anna finds herself once again in mortal danger, and believes that only an act of true love can save her life. And here's a SPOILER: though Anna turns first to Prince Hans, then to Kristoff, to find true love, she ultimately discovers that the love she feels for her sister Elsa, which remained under the surface after many years of separation and misunderstanding, is the true love that is strong enough to save her. I honestly believe that this message, that 'true love' can be felt for your family or even friends, is the most important lesson of the film. This message comes during a time when sex and attracting others is the predominant theme across every type of media, especially for young adults and even (less directly) for children. My little sisters, who are eight and nine, often have to have a boyfriend or husband or Prince Charming involved as they're playing. I remember being boyfriend-husband-prince oriented as a little girl too. But why does a child need a Prince Charming at that age? In fact, why do you need a Prince Charming at any age? Yes, I believe people can derive great happiness from finding a partner to share their lives with. However, childhood development should not be oriented around attracting the opposite sex. Children - and adults - should focus on overcoming their weaknesses, honing their strengths, loving those around them, and discovering and embracing who they are. This is just what Frozen reminds us to do. And Elsa and Anna's relationship tells us that true love does not have to just be found through Prince Charming, but for friends and family too.
On top of these more serious themes, Frozen is great fun to watch overall, for kids and adults alike. The setting and animation is beautiful. The secondary characters are wonderful. The silly snowman Olaf gives kids plenty of laughs but imparts some wisdom, too: 'Love is putting someone else's needs before yours.' To me, the most hilarious interactions are between Kristoff and his loyal reindeer buddy, Sven. There's also a conspicuous side-villain (the major of Weaseltown, obviously) and a overly-friendly family of trolls.
I haven't heard a bad thing about this film yet - there have been rave reviews from children and adults alike. In Frozen we find more wisdom and truth than most other animated children's films put together. Hands down, this is the best story Disney has come out with in quite a while, so please go and see for yourself!
Frozen will be released in the US on DVD/Blu-Ray on March 18.
Happy 2014! I have used my brief winter break to do a bit of reading, and want to recommend two books that I greatly enjoyed reading: The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez and The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. The Sound of Things Falling is the latest novel by Colombian writer Juan Gabriel Vásquez, and it follows the interconnected lives of a professor in Bogotá named Antonio, a pilot who spent years in prison, his gringa Peace Corps wife, and their Colombian-raised beekeeper daughter. It's a beautifully-written story that takes a convoluted but smooth route through the timelines of individual lives, through remembered and imagined moments, through recordings and letters. The conclusions drawn from the introspection of these characters raise larger questions about the trauma of an entire country: Colombia in the time of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's reign. The Cellist of Sarajevo is also a war story. It takes place in the besieged city of Sarajevo. There are four characters that the novel divides its time among: a husband and father man trying to survive the trip to and from a brewery to fetch water for his family; an elderly man on his own errand, also trying to avoid the shells and snipers causing the citizens of the city to drop like flies while crossing streets and bridges; a female sniper given the task of defending a cellist from enemy snipers in Sarajevo; and the cellist himself, a man who plays Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor for 22 days, one for each person killed by a bomb while buying bread at the shop across the street. Amazingly, this novel is based on a real cellist who played in ruined buildings during the siege, Vedran Smailović.
The themes in these novels have a lot of overlap, and both are driven predominantly by the inner thoughts and drives of their characters. These books left me with a sense of the fragility and senselessness of human life and the world we inhabit, while also taking great pain to focus on the smallest, silliest coincidences and singular events that define lives and make them unique and cherishable.
I love listening to the news. I highly prefer it to reading a physical newspaper (ink fingers!), reading the online news websites (too much catching the eye - what's important?), or watching the news (anchors are far from being experts).
With the London-based Monocle, I get relevant breaking news straight from experts. The selection of different shows is absolutely huge. From day to day I can decide if I want to be briefed by any of the following (and these are just the tip of the iceberg!): "Midori House," a one-hour overview from Monocle editors and correspondents all over the world, "The Briefing," which focuses on the day's news in Europe, "The Monocle Daily," which checks in live with reporters from the US and Americas, or the wonderful catch-all "The Curator," which compiles the best of the week into one show.
You not only get international news; you get expert political analyses and impressive interviews and insight. And it's all delivered in dulcet British accents, which is an added plus.
And once you've had enough of the news, there are also stations that cover culture, food, music, books, and really everything under the sun! Monocle Radio has it all! Not to get off track, but Monocle.com has a million more things to offer outside of their radio stations. But start here, and see if you don't end up spending the next two hours on the Monocle website:
The best part is the fact that the live radio streams open in a player at the bottom of the website which allows you to continue browsing and opening new pages while you listen.
Some researchers claim it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Why not put that theory to the test? Instead of giving yourself a single abstract new years resolution, let's break the year down into monthly resolutions. Just to keep things interesting. Was your 2014 resolution to simply be a stronger, more confident individual? Well, these 12 smaller goals will see you achieving that higher goal by 2015:
JANUARY: Stop snacking. Make eating a ritual, and savor your meals.
FEBRUARY: Take inventory of your wardrobe and toiletries. Throw out or donate what you don't ever use or need. Only buy things you really need or want.
MARCH: Drink more water on a daily basis.
APRIL: Get in exercise daily, even if it's just for 10 minutes. Even if it's simply stretching.
MAY: Read a new book. Read a classic. Read something controversial.
JUNE: Do something creative: paint, write, build, start a blog.
JULY: Get outside. Go for daily walks, and schedule hiking trips with friends.
AUGUST: Gain a new skill. Take a class in something. Gain a certification.
SEPTEMBER: Travel. Get out of the state, or even out of the country.
OCTOBER: Reconnect with family and old friends. Go through your phone and text people you haven't heard from in years. Budget time to grab a coffee with them.
NOVEMBER: Boost your financial savvy. Learn about new investment opportunities or strategies, read the business section of the news, or just bring new vigor to managing your own finances wisely.
DECEMBER: Reflect on your achievements and on your goals. Not just concrete goals, but abstract goals. Try to find what gives you meaning in your life, and decide what you want the meaning of your life to be from now on.
is also a war story. It takes place in the besieged city of Sarajevo. There are four characters that the novel divides its time among: a husband and father man trying to survive the trip to and from a brewery to fetch water for his family; an elderly man on his own errand, also trying to avoid the shells and snipers causing the citizens of the city to drop like flies while crossing streets and bridges; a female sniper given the task of defending a cellist from enemy snipers in Sarajevo; and the cellist himself, a man who plays Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor for 22 days, one for each person killed by a bomb while buying bread at the shop across the street. Amazingly, this novel is based on a real cellist who played in ruined buildings during the siege, Vedran Smailović.
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