J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, born January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and deceased September 2, 1973, in Bournemouth, England, was an English writer, philologist, and academic who earned global renown as the author of the classic high-fantasy works "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University from 1925 to 1945 and of English Language and Literature there from 1945 to 1959. Tolkien's scholarly work focused on the study of Old and Middle English texts, and he was deeply interested in the nature of myth and storytelling. Tolkien's most famous works grew out of his desire to create a mythology for England. "The Hobbit," published in 1937, originally was a story he wrote for his children, and its critical and commercial success led to the much more complex and extensive sequel, "The Lord of the Rings," published in three volumes from 1954 to 1955. These works are set within Middle-earth, a detailed fantasy world of Tolkien's own creation, populated with humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and a wide array of other mythical creatures and languages, which he constructed with a linguist's precision. Tolkien's works are noted for their consistent internal logic, depth of interrelated histories, and linguistic sophistication, which lend them an unrivaled level of realism for high-fantasy literature. His fiction does more than entertain; it provides commentary on moral and ethical questions, the nature of good and evil, and the power of mythology, leading to the development of a dedicated international fanbase. "The Lord of the Rings" in particular has had a profound and lasting impact on the fantasy genre, inspiring countless works of fiction, art, music, film, and television. Tolkien's legacy endures through his works and the academic frameworks he established, marking him as a towering figure in modern literature.