This episode features a conversation with Assistant Professor Dexter Gabriel of the UConn History Department who writes speculative fiction under the pen name P. Djèlí Clark. This is Part 2 of the research sessions episodes on Hippie Hobbits (d’Archive #50) and the influences of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth on the late1960s counter-culture as discovered through UConn Archives & Special Collections. Dr. Gabriel discusses his own interpretations of Tolkien’s work and its influences on his speculative fiction. Drawing from his persona as the Disgruntled Haradrim, casting his lot with the “swarthier side of Arda”, elaborates on the role of the historical past and its inspiration to help drive diverse narratives into the unfolding genres of fantasy and science fiction.
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UConn Library’s Faculty Authored Books by P. Djèlí Clark
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