Artykuł pochodzi z pisma "Guardian"

The "long-expected party" that JRR Tolkien imagined when he began writing Lord of The Rings more than 60 years ago will take place tomorrow, across the world.
A cast of thousands of his fans will raise their glasses in a global toast to "the professor" in honour of what would have been his 111th birthday. Tolkien called it an eleventy-first birthday, "a rather curious number and a very respectable age for a hobbit".
Attaining it in human years proved too much for him; he died in 1973 aged 81. But his hobbit Bilbo Baggins achieved it in the chapter that starts the adventures of the trilogy.
The moment at which Tolkien posthumously catches up with his creation will be celebrated by admirers at venues ranging from London's Leicester Square and the Coach and Horses pub in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, to a Hong Kong restaurant, the Prancing Pony bar in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, and the Cat & Fiddle pub on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood. Tolkien admiration societies in almost every country in South America will take part.
Lord of the Rings had been a bestseller long before the two films released so far. The success of the films, however, has more than doubled membership of the British Tolkien Society.
"The films have made a tremendous difference all over the world," Ian Collier, the society's spokesman, said yesterday. "We hear of more societies springing up all the time."
Groups toasting the author have been asked to send videos for a DVD of the occasion, and to put messages on the British society's website.
· Tolkien's translation of Beowulf, the epic Anglo Saxon masterwork, is to be published nearly 80 years after he wrote it. Tolkien's manuscript was spotted in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, by a visiting US academic, Michael Drout, of Wheaton College, Massachusetts, who is editing it. The work was given to the library by Tolkien's son Christopher, an Anglo-Saxon specialist.
Partying, Baggins-style
Each year the Bagginses had given very lively combined birthday-parties at Bag End; but now it was understood that something quite exceptional was being planned for that autumn. Bilbo was going to be eleventy-one, 111, a rather curious number, and a very respectable age for a hobbit (the Old Took himself had only reached 130); and Frodo was going to be thirty-three, 33 an important number: the date of his "coming of age"...
After the feast (more or less) came the Speech. Most of the company were, however, now in a tolerant mood, at that delightful stage which they called "filling up the corners". They were sipping their favourite drinks, and nibbling at their favourite dainties, and their fears were forgotten. They were prepared to listen to anything, and to cheer at every full stop.
"My dear people," began Bilbo, rising in his place. "Hear! Hear! Hear!" they shouted, and kept on repeating it in chorus, seeming reluctant to follow their own advice.
· From A Long Expected Party, opening chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003

to attain – to achieve, osiągnąć, zdobyć, stosuj z attain (to, at) sth
to catch up with something – to reach someone by going faster than them, dogonić, nadrobić stratę do kogoś,
to cheer – to give a loud shout of approval, wiwatować, wznosić okrzyki poparcia, skandować, także rzeczownik cheer
dainties – favourite food, przysmaki
in chorus - chórem
masterwork – a work of art made with great skill, masterpiece, arcydzieło
to nibble – to eat something by taking a lot of small bites, chrupać
posthumously – after a person’s death - pośmiertnie
proved too much for him – turned out to be too much, okazało się być zbyt trudne
reluctant – not very willing to do something, niechętny, rzeczownik - reluctance, niechęć
to sip – to drink slowly, sączyć, spijać
to spot – to see or noticed something usually when it involves looking hard, wyśledzić, wypatrzeć
to spring up (sprang, sprung) – to appear suddenly, nagle się pojawić, wyrosnąć jak grzyby po deszczu
venue – a place where a public event or meeting happens, miejsce, arena wydarzeń


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