First day at the conference

The "III International Conference on the Inklings" has begun today at the Faculty of Arts of Vitoria-Gasteiz. We have been delighted with the scholars who have presented their papers on the issue about the Inklings.

The day has started with the paper by Dr. Matías Zamjlic, from from the University of Milan, who has presented his paper on C. S. Lewis' pieces of works and their representation on cinema. As a second round, Dr. Eduardo Segura, who has been with us in previous conferences, has presented his paper about the importance of Death in Tolkien's Middle Earth. These two papers have lent to the hearers to participate actively and therefore throw questions to the speakers.

Also, in the last presentation, as in the last two conferences, Paul Urkijo has presented his project under the title "Cuchillo McGregor y el vasco" and after that he has been speaking about his future projects. 

After the papers, all the guests have been invited to a small meeting with snacks and drinks promoted by the collaborator of the conference, Elkar. 

Here we have some pictures that define this wonderful day:

Dr. Matías Zamjlic and Dr. Martin Simonson

Dr. Eduardo Segura and Dr. Martin Simonson

Paul Urkijo and Dr. Raúl Montero

Program for the conference

Almost three weeks for the big day and it is about time to start getting ready for it. Here is the program of the congress in order to inform all the participants and guests:

III International Conference on the Inklings and the Western Imagination: The Influence of the North // III Conferencia Internacional sobre los Inklings y la Imaginación del Oeste: la Influencia del Norte 

Salón de Grados, Faculty of Arts / Facultad de Letras, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz 

10-11 of April / Abril, 2017 

Free entrance / Entrada libre 

Lunes 10

15.30 – 15.45 Ceremonia de apertura 

15.45 – 17.00 Matías Zemjlic, M.A. (Universidad de Milán): “Narnia: cinematografía olvidada” 

17.00 – 18.00 Dr. Eduardo Segura (Universidad de Granada): “Una esperanzada desesperación: Tolkien y su ‘Ciclo del Norte’“ 

18.00 – 18.30 Café

18.30 – 19.15 Paúl Urquijo, director de cine. Presentación del cortometraje: “Cuchillo McGregor y el vasco” 

19.30 – 20.30 Conversaciones con autores en Elkar Campus. Tentempiés cortesía de la UPV/EHU

Martes 11

09.15 – 10.00 Dr. Luis Florencio Díaz Pulido (UPV/EHU): “Stephen King’s ‘The Body’: a Cold War Western” 

10.00 – 11.00 Dra. Amaya Fernández Menicucci (UPV/EHU): “The Subversion of Elves and Barbarians in the Works of Terry Pratchett” 

11.00 – 11.30 Café y sesión de seguimiento de tesis doctoral 

11.30 – 13.00 Dr. José Miguel Santamaría: “Tolkien, el traductor traducido” 

13.00 – 15.00  Comida

15.00 – 16.30 Mesa redonda: “El Norte en la obra de Tolkien”.

Dr. José Miguel Santamaría; Dr. Eduardo Segura (Universidad de Granada), Raúl Pérez (Sociedad Tolkien Española) 

16.30 – 17.00  Café 

17.00 – 18.00 Dr. Miguel Ayerbe (UPV/EHU): “La influencia de las sagas antiguas del Norte en El Cantar de los Nibelungos” 

18.00 Clausura

19.30 Visita guiada: la ciudad gótica de Vitoria-Gasteiz

21.00 Cena 

Actividad financiada por el Departamento de filología inglesa y alemana y de traducción e interpretación y realizada en el marco del Programa de Doctorado de Literatura Comparada y Estudios Literarios de la UPV/EHU

Second day at the conference and closing.

Second and last day of the conference passed! Yesterday started with a small panel in which the PhD program students Andoni Cossío, Maddi Susperregi and Ekaitz Ikazuriaga presented their papers regarding The Inklings and also Harry Potter. This panel was followed by the paper presented by Dr. Eduardo Segura who gave a speech about the importance of the art and the immortality of the elves englobing J. R. R. Tolkien's works. In a second round, the former scholar of the faculty Dr. Miguel Santamaría presented his paper on the translation of J. R. R. Tolkien's works into Spanish. 

Andoni Cossío presenting his paper on Tolkien

Maddi Susperregi presenting her paper on Lewis

Ekaitz Ikazuriaga presenting his paper on Harry Potter

Dr. Eduardo Segura presenting his paper

Dr. Eduardo Segura & Dr. Guillermo Spirito

For the beginning of the afternoon, Dr. Sara Molpeceres presented her paper regarding the myth in C. S. Lewis' works, followed by Dr. Miguel Ayerbe who pointed out the topic of Death in the medieval works in his presentation.

Dr. Sara Molpeceres presenting her paper

Dr. Miguel Ayerbe presenting his paper

Finally after a short break for coffee, the congress continued with a round table with all the participants (exept Dr. Ayerbe and Dr. Molpeceres). In this session, our guests debated about the topics presented between the two days of congress and put ideas in common.

To conclude with the congress, Dr. Raúl Montero and Dr. Martin Simonson thanked all the participants of the congress. 

The day ended up with a guided tour around the old town of Vitoria-Gasteiz to know more about its gothic background and visit some interesing points of this beautiful city.

So, we're done!

On behalf of the organization, thanks to everybody. It has been so nice to have you around. Thanks to our keynote speakers, to the people talking in the round tables, to every lecturer, chairs, friends, to the people attending the conference and to the collaborators. Good job!

We hope to organize this congress next year again and have our guests again in Vitoria-Gasteiz!

You are invited to send any picture you may want to share with us to eajm.projects@gmail.com.

In case you would be interested in watching the videos of the conferences, here we will offer you the chance of watching them as soon as the UPV/EHU upload them. 

First day at the second conference

The "III International Conference on the Inklings" has begun today at the Faculty of Arts of Vitoria-Gasteiz. We have been delighted with the scholars who have presented their papers on the issue about the Inklings.

The day has started with the paper by Dr. Guillermo Spirito, from from the Theological Institute of Assisi, who has taught us about the eucatastrophe in both authors J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. As a second round, Paul Urquijo, who came last year too, has presented his project under the title 'Jugando con la muerte'. This has lent to the hearers to participate actively and therefore throw questions to Urquijo, who has aimed his audience to work to achieve one's dream.

After the papers, all the guests have been invited to a small meeting with snacks and drinks promoted by the collaborator of the conference, Elkar. 

Here we have some pictures that define this wonderful day:

Dr. Raúl Montero & Dr. Martin Simonson presenting the congress

Dr. Spirito presenting his paper

Dr. Raúl Montero presenting Urquijo's film

We remind you that we have a wide book exposition at the gates of the room in which the conferences are presented. Here you can find some of the titles.

Program for the conference

Almost three weeks for the big day and it is about time to start getting ready for it. Here is the program of the congress in order to inform all the participants and guests:

II International Conference on the Inklings: Death and Immortality in the Works of the Inklings

 Faculty of Arts, Vitoria-Gasteiz 

21-22 March

Monday 21 March 

16.30 – 17.00 Opening ceremony (Salón de Grados) 

17.00 – 18.00 Plenary 1: Dr. Guillermo Spirito, Theological Institute of Assisi, “Eucatastrophe in Lewis and Tolkien” (Salón de Grados) 

18.00 – 18.15 Coffee break 

18.15 – 19.15 Presentation and screening of the short film “Jugando con la muerte” by director Paúl Urquijo. (Salón de Grados) 

19.30 – 20.30 Conversations with authors at the Campus bookshop (refreshments and snacks courtesy of the UPV/EHU) 

Tuesday 22 March

09.00 – 10.00 Panel: Andoni Cossío, UPV/EHU, “J. R. R. Tolkien’s Tree World”; Maddi Susperregui, UPV/EHU, “From C. S. Lewis to Lucy Pevensie”; and Ekaitz Ikazuriaga, UPV/EHU, “Representation of gender studies in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone: Hermione Granger, a case in point” 

10.00 – 11.00 Plenary 2: Dr. Eduardo Segura, Universidad de Granada, “Arte e Inmortalidad élfica: Tolkien y el don de la Muerte” (Salón de Grados) 

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break 

11.30 – 12.30 Plenary 3: Dr. José Miguel Santamaría, "Tolkien en español: primeros estudios y obras traducidas" (Salón de Grados) 

12.30 – 15.00 Lunch 

15.00 – 16.00 Plenary 4: Dra. Sara Molpeceres, Universidad de Valladolid, "La experiencia trascendente: lo humano, lo sagrado y el mito en C. S. Lewis" (Salón de Grados) 

16.00 – 16.30 Coffee break 

16.30 – 17.30 Plenary 5: Dr. Miguel Ayerbe, UPV/EHU, “El tratamiento de la muerte en la literatura germánica medieval” (Salón de Grados) 

17.30 – 18.30 Round Table: translating Tolkien Dr. José Miguel Santamaría, Dr. Eduardo Segura, Dr. Guillermo Spirito (Salón de Grados)

18.30 Concluding discussion and closure 

19.30 Guided tour: the Gothic city centre of Vitoria 

21.30 Conference dinner

Or if you want to print the program for yourselves, please click on the capitalized word PROGRAM to have access to the file.

Welcome to the "II International Conference on the Inklings: Death and Immortality in the Works of the Inklings"

 The study of the fantastic in literature has frequently been relegated to a secondary position within the field of academic research in Spain. This conference aims to break certain taboos and highlight the intrinsic literary, social and cultural qualities of such literature. In particular, we seek to elucidate the significance and influence of the literature written by the Inklings (J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams, among others). The thematic scope of this second edition will revolve around the topic of death and immortality in the works of the Inklings and other related writers, comparing and contrasting different standpoints. In the literature of the Inklings, this topic was approached from both Christian and pagan angles, and it is central both to The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.

The conference includes plenary sessions, round-table discussions, panels with papers, screenings of films, book presentations and a guided tour to the medieval city of Vitoria. Keynote speakers include renowned international specialists in the field such as Dr. Guillermo Spirito (Theological Institute of Assis), Dr. Eduardo Segura (University of Granada), Dr. José Miguel Santamaría, Dra. Sara Molpeceres (University of Valladolid) and Dr. Miguel Ayerbe (University of the Basque Country).

Welcome then and feel free to participate, submit any comments you have: feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Second day at the conference and closing.

Second and last day of the conference passed! Yesterday started with the paper by Dr. Eduardo Segura who gave a speech about the importance and power of words, englobing J. R. R. Tolkien's works. In a second round, Dr. Thomas Honegger presented his paper, in which he spoke about Tolkien and its relation with England.

In order: Dr. Simonson, Dr. Segura, Dr. Honegger,
Dr. Groom, Dr. Ayerbe and Dr. Montero.

Dr. Martin Simonson introduced Dr. Segura's paper. 

Dr. Thomas Honegger presenting his paper. 

After a short break for coffee, the congress continued with a round table with all the participants (exept Dr. Ayerbe). In this session, our guests debated about the topics presented between the two days of congress and put ideas in common. 

Dr. Groom, Dr. Honegger, Dr. Simonson and Dr. Segura.

For the beginning of the afternoon, a small panel was prepared. In this ocassion, the new team of the publishing house and collaborator of this congress Portal Editions presented it and they explained to the audience the projects for the future of the publishing house. They were glad to collaborate with Dr. Ayerbe, who answered some questions related to his new book published by Portal Editions and Dr. Montero, one of the founders, who presented the project run by this publishing house: the Scarecrow Project. 

Andoni Cossio asking some questions to Dr. Ayerbe.

Part of the new team of Portal Editions: Janire Guerrero,
Ekaitz Ikazuriaga and Maddi Susperregi. 

Dr. Montero explaining the Scarecrow Project.

To conclude with the congress, Dr. Ayerbe gave an speech regarding Grimm brothers, in order to speak about the German Romanticism.

The day ended up with a guided tour around the old town of Vitoria-Gasteiz to know more about its gothic background and visit some interesing points of this beautiful city. 

Plaza España / Spain Square

La Virgen Blanca / The White Virgin

Some of the guests hearing the explanations.

Vitoria-Gasteiz

A gothic style door. 

The ancient wall.

Villauso Castle.

So, we're done!

On behalf of the organization, thanks to everybody. It has been so nice to have you around. Thanks to our keynote speakers, to the people talking in the round tables, to every lecturer, chairs, friends, to the people attending the conference and to the collaborators. Good job!

We hope to organize this congress next year and have our guests again in-Vitoria Gasteiz!

You are invited to send any picture you may want to share with us to eajm.projects@gmail.com.

In case you would be interested in watching the videos of the conferences, here we offer you the chance of visiting the UPV/EHU's webpage in which you would find all of them:

CLICK HERE

Once again, thanks to everybody for such a great job! Eskerrik asko!