Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, commonly known as J. R. R. Tolkien, (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, philologist, and academic whose legendarium and approach to world-building helped shape modern fantasy. Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, he moved to England as a child and studied at Oxford University, pursuing languages and early Germanic philology. He taught at Oxford as a professor of Anglo-Saxon and became a leading figure among the Inklings, a literary circle that included C. S. Lewis.

Tolkien is best known for creating the fictional world of Middle-earth, a complex setting with its own histories, peoples, and languages. He authored The Hobbit (1937), a children's adventure that opened the door to a broader mythology, and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955), a high fantasy epic that expanded that mythology into a sprawling narrative. He also assembled The Silmarillion and related works, published posthumously in 1977 by his son Christopher Tolkien, which provide the larger mythic framework for Middle-earth. A lifelong linguist, Tolkien developed constructed languages such as Quenya and Sindarin and produced extensive linguistic and historical writings that underpinned his fiction. Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics (1936) is among his influential scholarly essays.

Tolkien's work has had a profound and lasting impact on fantasy literature and popular culture, influencing countless authors and adaptations. He remained married to Edith Bratt for life, and they had four children. He died in Oxford, England, leaving a legacy as one of the most influential figure in 20th-century speculative fiction.