J.R.R.

        Best known as author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. At the age of 4, his father Arthur Tolkien died. In order to save money, Tolkien’s mother Mabel moved the family to England. Not long after, his mother died and he was sent to live with a relative. He enlisted as a lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers and served in World War 1, but was eventually released from duty due to illness. During his term in the war, Tolkien married Edith Bratt. Only a few years later he became a professor at Oxford university where he remained until retirement. He began a writing group called the Inklings and discussed his upcoming books with men in the group such as C.S. Lewis and Owen Barfield. In 1937 his award-winning fantasy novel The Hobbit  was published. Following this work, he finished up the trilogy in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring and in 1955 The Return of the King. Tolkien retired from his professorial job in 1959 and went on to publish his essay and poetry collection. On September 2, 1973, at the age of 81 J.R.R. Tolkien died.