The Essay: Ways of Being

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The Essay: Ways of Being: Tom Shakespeare on J.R.R. Tolkien

Tom Shakespeare on J.R.R. Tolkien

Ways of Being

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, Ways of Being, Tom Shakespeare on J.R.R. Tolkien

Tom Shakespeare explores his relationship with J.R.R. Tolkien's characters.

Tom Shakespeare explores the influence of J.R.R.Tolkien's characters on his way of being.

In this series, artists, writers and thinkers tell us about the ways they have been shaped by their ‘ways of being’, their individual bodies – what freedoms they allow, and their sensitivities or limits. They also explore how their work has been shaped and informed by the body, its freedoms and limits.  As many creative people have discovered - limits can lead to originality, and freedoms can offer ‘more of the same’.

Tom is the fifth essayist to let us into their particular 'way of being' and into their relationship with a cultural touchstone. In this essay Tom considers the character of J.R.R. Tolkien's hobbits, and his experience of reading about them as a child with restricted growth - a child who adored books

Tom Shakespeare
Tom Shakespeare is a writer, social scientist, bioethicist, and a regular broadcaster for BBC Radio. He has also performed as a stand-up comedian and compère in the disability arts world.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Artists, writers and thinkers explore how their work has been informed by their bodies.

Artists, writers and thinkers explore how their work has been shaped and informed by the freedoms and limitations of their bodies.

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