J. R. R. Tolkien: English writer and philologist (1892–1973)

Tolkien is best known for his most famous works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

J. R. R. Tolkien CBE FRSL
Colourised version of a photograph of J. R. R. Tolkien taken around 1925
Born	John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-01-03)3 January 1892 Bloemfontein, Orange Free State (modern-day South Africa)
Died	2 September 1973(1973-09-02) (aged 81) Bournemouth, England
Occupation	Author, academic, philologist, poet
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Exeter College, Oxford
Genre	Fantasy, high fantasy, translation, literary criticism
Notable works	The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales
Spouse	Edith Bratt (m. 1916; d. 1971)
Children	John Francis (1917–2003) Michael Hilary (1920–1984) Christopher John (1924–2020) Priscilla Anne (b. 1929)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1915–1920
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Lancashire Fusiliers
Battles/wars	First World War Battle of the Somme Capture of Schwaben Redoubt Actions at Leipzig Salient Actions at Regina Trench  (WIA)

He was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa but his parents were both from England. He lost much of his family at an early age. He fought in World War I, and after the war he found a job helping to produce the Oxford English Dictionary. Tolkien was very interested in languages, and he had studied at Oxford University. Soon he became a professor of English Language at the University of Leeds. He was then a professor at the University of Oxford until 1959, when he retired. He also was good friends with many other writers and scholars, most notably C. S. Lewis, who wrote the Narnia books, The Screwtape Letters, and many essays on Christian theology. Tolkien himself was a devout Catholic.

Tolkien married Edith Mary Bratt on 22 March 1916 in England, at the age of 24. They had four children, three sons and a girl: John, Michael, Christopher, and Priscilla.

He created and worked on the fictional fantasy world of Middle-earth for most of his life, and his most famous books are set in that world. Because of his Middle-earth books he is often considered the "father of high fantasy" which made the fantasy genre very popular.

Tolkien wrote other books, for example Farmer Giles Of Ham, and also illustrated (drew the pictures and maps for) The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings was published in three parts and has been made into several motion pictures. The Lord of the Rings took 12 years to write.

 

Fiction and poetry

• The Hobbit or There and Back Again, ISBN 978-0-618-00221-4 (HM). (1937)
• Leaf by Niggle (1945, short story)
• Farmer Giles of Ham (1949, medieval fable)
• The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955)
  • The Fellowship of the Ring: being the first part of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN 978-0-618-00222-1 (HM). (1954)
  • The Two Towers: being the second part of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN 978-0-618-00223-8 (HM). (1954)
  • The Return of the King: being the third part of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN 978-0-618-00224-5 (HM). (1955)
• The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book (1962)
• Smith of Wootton Major (1967)
• The Road Goes Ever On (1967)
• The Silmarillion (1977)
• Unfinished Tales (1980)
• The History of Middle-earth (1983–1996)
• Bilbo's Last Song (1990)
• The Children of Húrin (2007)
• The History of The Hobbit (2007)

Academic and other works

• Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics (1937)
• On Fairy-Stories (1947)
• Ancrene Riwle or Ancrene Wisse