2004 De Hobbit (Jan Meng)

The Hobbit

Release Date: 2004
Readers: Jan Meng
Language: Dutch
Translator: Renée Vink
Organisation: © 2022 Boekerij (Luisterboek)
ISBN: 9789052865492
Duration: 10 hours 26 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: Holland
Licenced: Yes
Formats: CD, Digital

Jan Meng is known for giving distinct voices to the characters. His interpretation of Gollum and the dwarves is particularly popular among Dutch listeners for being expressive without becoming overly theatrical.

Max Schuchart’s 1960 translation, De Hobbit, is the “base” text used for nearly every Dutch edition. However, Tolkien himself was notoriously critical of Schuchart’s early work (specifically his translation of names in The Lord of the Rings), which led to various revisions over the decades.

In 2002/2003, around the time the Peter Jackson films were being released and Jan Meng was preparing his recording, the Dutch publisher Mynx (a fantasy imprint of Uitgeverij Boekerij) commissioned a major modernization and revision of the text.

Renée Vink, a world-renowned Tolkien scholar and translator (and co-founder of the Dutch Tolkien Society, Unquendor), was the one who performed this revision. She didn’t just proofread; she aligned the terminology with Tolkien’s later linguistic guidelines, corrected long-standing errors, and modernized the prose while keeping Schuchart’s spirit.

Jan Meng’s 2004 recording for Rubinstein was based on this updated 2003 edition and was released as an 8-CD box set. This physical CD release and the 2009 Mynx edition are listed with a runtime of around 8 hours or “approx. 500 minutes.” This discrepancy is usually due to edits to fit the CD format or variations in how “8 discs” are rounded in library catalogs. The full, integrale reading lasts approximately 10 hours and 27 minutes. This version is the one currently available on major digital platforms.