Not the kind of Tolkien work that dives deep in your soul and rips your heart out, but the kind of one that plays into mythic archetypes in a way that hits you somewhere in your moral sense; your superego rather than your id, if you will. As with my review from last week on Arkham Asylum all the Jungian archetype stuff just leapt out of the page at me. The Moral of the story (not that Tolkien believed in such things…although if Jung is right, it doesn’t really matter whether you believe in them or not) is that you really need to fight that dragon and that those who put off doing so, or run from their responsibility will find themselves losing what they do have, including their reputation and virtue. Whereas the one who has a bit of boldness to stick in there might just walk away unscathed.

Read in anticipation of a gathering of friends who are planning on discussing this evening.

Short and sweet, a fun and silly story about a farmer who gets very lucky, and bravely takes the opportunities he is given. A great example of a story which turns the expectations on their heads, and a very quick read (or in my case, listen)

Il racconto ha un ritmo di lettura veloce dovuto alla semplicità con cui è scritto e alla lunghezza del testo, decisamente non eccessiva. Tuttavia, per “assaporarlo” al meglio, è consigliabile leggerlo lentamente, interpretandolo.
Sicuramente non si tratta dell’opera più celebre dell’autore, ma sicuramente merita di essere letta da appassionati e non.

Un cuento ilustrado sobre un granjero y un dragón que me ha hecho recordar a esas viejas historias de cuando era niño. Contiene la magia y la esencia de Tolkien y ya sólo por eso merece la pena ser leido. http://elmarcapaginas-loco.blogspot.c...

Beautiful and nostalgic. I just want to stay home for the rest of my life and farm the land.

4 stars. Thought I would reread this as when I looked up a Tolkein books for the Pageopoly Challenge I couldn't really remember it. Really enjoyed this short story. Farmer Giles is not a pleasant person but much nicer than the other characters so you eventually gravitate to him as he becomes reasonable over time. This is an easy read and a bit of fun for a change of pace. It was charming how the farmers dog and mare got to speak their thoughts on matters and the three of them make the story.

PS This is why I love these Goodreads challenges, they enrich your life by getting you to read books that at face value you would otherwise pass by. Thanks to the Greatest Mods Ever!

Bez obzira što je ovo delo više namenjeno deci, Tolkinova bajkovitost i magija pripovedanja ne izostaju ni u ovoj knjizi, tako da je ovo idealna prilika za prvi susret sa slavnim piscem, pre nego što zakoračite u Srednju zemlju.

Farmer Gil od Hama je srednjovekovna satirična vinjeta koja broji stotinak strana, na kojima se pored teksta nalaze i lepe ilustracije. U centru pažnje je farmer Gil koji vodi bezbrižan život, kao i većina stanovništva sela Ham, sve do trenutka kada u njegovu baštu zaluta kratkovidi džin i napravi mu veliku štetu. Vođen neverovatnom srećom i hrabrošću koja isijava iz njega u nekim retkim trenucima, farmer Gil će ubrzo postati heroj o kome će biti ispevane pesme, a do toga će dovesti upravo jedno takvo privremeno buđenje junaštva - kada kremenjačom (puškom) otera džina iz svog sela. Iako deluje naivno, nesumnjivo je da ova priča nosi ozbiljnu poruku - sreća prati hrabre, pa čak i one malo manje hrabrije. Saznajte kakve su okolnosti dovele do Gilove velike transformacije, pa sami donesite zaključak o tome da li se u ovom slučaju radi o čistoj sreći, ili ipak ima i herojskog duha u ovom naizgled običnom čoveku.

Brilliantly adorable! I absolutely loved the audiobook production for this and will be getting a physical copy for my bookshelf.

rakastin kuvitusta ( ja tarinaa)

Eu sentei em um dia pra ler e foi uma leitura bem agradável não só porque a edição era linda com ilustrações bem medievais, mas também porque parecia um conto medieval estendido que fluiu bastante, facilitando a leitura. Prometo desenvolver mais minhas ideias sobre

This is such a charming little tale!

Tolkien once said that he wrote his legendarium in an effort to create a British mythology, but honestly, none of his major works like the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit or even the Silmarillion (my personal favourite!) ever really managed that like Farmer Giles of Ham.

It's a rustic, rural, and simple story of a rustic, rural and simple folk. The Middle Kingdom, with its talking dogs, reasoning mares and the dragons and giants who are slowly fading into legend, abounds with Tolkien's charm, dry humour, and sarcastic wit, which are not apparent in other serious works of his (or at least, not as apparent.)

I'm really looking forward to reading the other short tales and discovering their own brand of magic.

This tiny book is the perfect way to pass a lazy evening with a cup of tea, and prepare to be charmed.

Grappig, dapper verhaaltje met zo nu en dan een beetje humor. :)