JRR Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was born in Bloemfontein in 1892. Ronald, as he was known, left South Africa at the age of four, but the city has not forgotten its famous son. Nor has his family forgotten the place of his birth.
In 1992, his daughter Priscilla, two of his grandchildren and other relatives from England and South Africa converged on Bloemfontein to celebrate the centenary of his birth. I was lucky enough to meet them and - something I never thought possible - to come away with a personal memento of the famous writer.
The festivities opened with a banquet at the Bloemfontein Club. I drove from Pretoria to Bloemfontein where, as president of the English Academy of Southern Africa, and having a special interest in children's literature, I was to be guest speaker - a rather daunting prospect in the presence of Tolkien's family.The next day was to be a full programme for the guests. The mayor had lent them his vintage Rolls Royce and chauffeur for various excursions, and the day would end with a civic reception at the city hall.
On the Sunday morning a commemorative service was to be held in the cathedral of St Andrew and St Michael, where Ronald had been christened.
After dinner, his granddaughter Joan, who was born in 1945 to Michael Tolkien (Ronald's son), approached me rather conspiratorially and asked me to meet her in the hotel lobby before breakfast. I went to bed puzzled as to what was in store.Joan arrived with a large envelope. She explained that she had brought with her from England photocopies of the letters that her grandfather had written to her when she was a little girl.
She was planning to find someone who would appreciate them. I was stunned.
I knew that Tolkien's most charming work is a collection of his Father Christmas letters to his children that he had written and illustrated over the years, to be found on the mantelpiece with the presents on Christmas morning. And now, here were more letters! Joan told me she wanted me to have the copies. She had one condition: that I would never publish them.
Back home after an amazing weekend steeped in Tolkien family lore, I pored over my treasure. The letters were playful and affectionate, illustrated with his typical drawings. Best of all was a poem to honour Joan being crowned Queen of the May, with a picture of her dancing around the maypole, a coronet of flowers in her hair.
• 'The Notebook' is about chance meetings and unforgettable encounters people have had on their travels. Send us your story - no more than 400 words - and, if published, you'll receive R500. Mail travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za with the word Notebook in the subject line...