Question: who wrote the hobbit and lord of the rings
Answer: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien , CBE , FRSL ( / ˈtɒlkiːn / ; 3 January 1892 -- 2 September 1973 ) was an English writer , poet , philologist , and university professor who is best known as the author of the classic high - fantasy works The Hobbit , The Lord of the Rings , and The Silmarillion .