1992 Hobbin (Axel Tórgarð)

The Hobbit

Release Date: 1992
Readers: Axel Tórgarð
Language: Faroese (Føroyskt)
Translator: Axel Tórgarð
Organisation: Hljóðbókanevndin (The Faroese Audiobook Committee)
Duration: 12 hours 30 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: Faroe Islands
Licenced: Yes
Formats: Cassette, CD, Digital

The Faroese translation of The Hobbit was first published in 1990. The audio version followed as the Faroe Islands began digitizing and recording their literary canon for the national blind and print-disabled services circulated via Hljóðbókanevndin.

As a storyteller, Axel Tórgarð was deeply influenced by the Faroese tradition of oral poetry and folk tales. When he narrates Hobbin, he isn’t just reading a book; he is performing a “Skjaldur” – a traditional Faroese spoken-word rhyme or tale. Faroese has changed less than other Nordic languages since the Viking Age, Axel’s reading of the Dwarven names (which Tolkien took from the Völuspá) sounds authentic. He pronounces them with the “internal music” of the North.

It was originally circulated by the Faroese Library for the Blind as a set of 6 Analog Cassette Tapes.

Special thanks to Harrison Tu for drawing attention to this recording.