Contents
J. R. R. Tolkien
Creating Middle-earth in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
The Hobbit · The Lord of the Rings
- Born
- 3 January 1892
- Birthplace
- Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Died
- 2 September 1973
More people
J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien was a British writer and language scholar. His invented languages, histories and landscapes gave Middle-earth a depth that helped shape modern fantasy fiction.
Early life
An English childhood
Moved from southern Africa to England as a small child and grew up around Birmingham.
A gift for languages
Studied English at Oxford after initially taking classics.
Career
- 1918–1920
Dictionary work
Worked on the Oxford English Dictionary after serving in the First World War.
- 1920–1925
Leeds academic
Joined the University of Leeds, becoming a professor.
- 1925–1959
Oxford professor
Taught medieval languages and literature while developing his fiction.
Selected work
The Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins leaves home for an adventure with dwarves and a dragon.
The Lord of the Rings
An epic journey to destroy a ring that confers corrupting power.
The Silmarillion
His mythology of earlier ages, edited for publication by Christopher Tolkien after his death.
Beyond work
The Inklings
Shared writing with an Oxford circle that included C. S. Lewis.
Family stories
Married Edith Bratt in 1916; stories and illustrated letters for their four children accompanied his larger mythology.
Sources & photo credit
Life and career ↗Institutional or specialist reference ↗Photo: Unknown photo studio commissioned by Tolkien's students 1925/6 (private communication from Catherine McIlwaine, Tolkien Archivist, Bodleian Library). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
