J.R.R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973) was an English author, scholar, and language specialist best known for creating Middle-earth, the setting of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Born John Ronald Reuel Tolkien on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, in what is now South Africa, he grew up in England. His fascination with languages and mythology became central to both his academic career and his fiction. The Tolkien Estate

Tolkien studied at Oxford and served in the British Army during the First World War, including at the Battle of the Somme. He later became an Oxford professor specializing in Old and Middle English. The Hobbit, published in 1937, introduced readers to his imaginative world; The Lord of the Rings followed in 1954–1955. His richly developed languages, histories, and legends helped shape modern fantasy literature. Tolkien died on September 2, 1973, in Bournemouth, England, at age 81. His son Christopher subsequently edited and published many of his unfinished writings, including The Silmarillion. The Tolkien Estate