J.R.R. Tolkien
English
1892 - 1973
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in South Africa to his British parents, Arthur and Mabel Tolkien. He moved to England ... Read more
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in South Africa to his British parents, Arthur and Mabel Tolkien. He moved to England with his mother as a toddler. Both parents died when Tolkien was quite young, and he and his younger brother were placed in the care of a priest, Father Francis Morgan. He ensured that the boys attended boarding school and received an education. At school, Tolkien continued to excel at languages, including Latin, Greek, Welsh and even Finnish. At school, he made good friends and met his future wife, Edith Bratt. Tolkien attended Exeter College, Oxford, and graduated in 1915.
Military And Teaching Career
When England went to war in 1914, Tolkien enlisted but was kept in England for a few years. He married Edith in 1916, after convincing her to end her engagement to another man, and he left for France soon after. Most of his boyhood friends were killed in action. Tolkien developed trench fever, a result of lice, and he was considered medically unfit for duty. He held several teaching positions, and the couple welcomed a son in 1917.
Writing Career
During his early teaching career, Tolkien wrote several mythology-inspired short stories and worked on invented languages, often referred to as Tolkien languages. He returned to Oxford in 1925 as a professor and contributed some academic writings. Tolkien was a founding member of a group devoted to writing, known as "The Inklings," which included many prominent members, such as writer CS Lewis.
He also began creating fantastic stories for his children, three boys and a girl, and he wrote some of them down. In 1936, a portion of a story about a hobbit caught the attention of a publishing house employee, and The Hobbit was published in 1937. Its immediate success led to a 10-year writing process to create The Lord of the Rings, which included three volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit remain popular, and Peter Jackson's cinematic interpretation of The Lord of the Rings has fueled even more interest in Tolkien.
Later Years
Tolkien enjoyed academic and literary fame up until and well after his retirement in 1959. He received the Order of the British Empire in 1972. Tolkien died in 1973, not long after his wife passed. His son, Christopher, organized and published many of Tolkien's extensive unpublished material, such as The Silmarillion, which was started in 1917 and published posthumously in 1977.
Military And Teaching Career
When England went to war in 1914, Tolkien enlisted but was kept in England for a few years. He married Edith in 1916, after convincing her to end her engagement to another man, and he left for France soon after. Most of his boyhood friends were killed in action. Tolkien developed trench fever, a result of lice, and he was considered medically unfit for duty. He held several teaching positions, and the couple welcomed a son in 1917.
Writing Career
During his early teaching career, Tolkien wrote several mythology-inspired short stories and worked on invented languages, often referred to as Tolkien languages. He returned to Oxford in 1925 as a professor and contributed some academic writings. Tolkien was a founding member of a group devoted to writing, known as "The Inklings," which included many prominent members, such as writer CS Lewis.
He also began creating fantastic stories for his children, three boys and a girl, and he wrote some of them down. In 1936, a portion of a story about a hobbit caught the attention of a publishing house employee, and The Hobbit was published in 1937. Its immediate success led to a 10-year writing process to create The Lord of the Rings, which included three volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit remain popular, and Peter Jackson's cinematic interpretation of The Lord of the Rings has fueled even more interest in Tolkien.
Later Years
Tolkien enjoyed academic and literary fame up until and well after his retirement in 1959. He received the Order of the British Empire in 1972. Tolkien died in 1973, not long after his wife passed. His son, Christopher, organized and published many of Tolkien's extensive unpublished material, such as The Silmarillion, which was started in 1917 and published posthumously in 1977.
