J.R.R. Tolkien Biography - Tolkien's life Tolkien Biography Philologist, author, mythmaker and creator of "Middle Earth" Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, a brilliant philologist, and a self-described "hobbit," J.R.R. Tolkien created two of the best-loved stories of the 20th century, " The Hobbit " and " The Lord of the Rings ", recently made into a multiple award-winning movie by the director Peter Jackson for New Line Cinema. Early Life John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, to English parents. At the age of three his mother brought him and his younger brother, Hilary, back to England. Tolkien's father died soon afterwards in South Africa, so the family stayed in England and by the summer of 1896 his mother found them a home in the hamlet of Sarehole, just outside the city Birmingham. Tolkien's family lived in genteel poverty, eventually moving to Moseley a suburb of Birmingham, just north west of Sarehole.

When he was 12, Tolkien's mother died, and he and his brother were made wards of a Catholic priest. They lived with aunts and in boarding homes thereafter. The dichotomy between Tolkien's happier days in the rural landscape of Sarehole and his adolescent years in the industrial centre of Birmingham would be felt strongly in his later works. Education The young Tolkien attended King Edward's School in Birmingham in the years 1910 and 1911, where he excelled in classical and modern languages. There are six known contributions he made in the King Edward's School Chronicle. In 1911 he went to Exeter College, Oxford, where he studied Classics, Old English, Germanic languages, Welsh, and Finnish. He quickly demonstrated an aptitude for philology and began to create his own languages. In 1913 Tolkien published his very first poem, called 'From the many-willow'd margin of the immemorial Thames', in the Stapeldon Magazine of Exeter college. The Great War By the time Tolkien had completed his degree at Oxford in 1915, World War I had erupted across Europe.

Tolkien enlisted and was commissioned in the Lancashire Fusiliers, but he did not see active duty for months. In this period he wrote the poem 'Gobin Feet' which got published in ' Oxford Poetry 1915 '. When he learned that he would be shipped out in March 1916, he married his longtime friend Edith Bratt, the girl the poem was written for. Tolkien was sent to the Western Front and fought in the Somme offensive. Almost all of his closest friends were killed. After four months in and out of the trenches, he contracted a typhus-like infection and was sent back to England, where he served for the rest of the war. Academic Career Tolkien's first job was as a lexicographer on the New English Dictionary (helping to draft the Oxford English Dictionary). Tolkien wrote 'A Middle English Vocabulary', but it was not published until 1922, but after it was published some copies were bound with 1st impressions of Sisam’s book, 'Fourteenth Century Verse and Prose' which was published one year before. During this time he began serious work on creating languages that he imagined had been spoken by elves.

The languages were based primarily on Finnish and Welsh. He also began his "Lost Tales" a mythic history of men, elves, and other creatures he created to provide context for his "Elvish" languages. He made the first public presentation of his tales when he read "The Fall of Gondolin" to an appreciative audience at the Exeter College Essay Club. Tolkien then became a professor in English Language at the University of Leeds, where he collaborated with E. V. Gordon on the famous edition of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'. Tolkien remained at Leeds until 1925, when he took a position teaching Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. In Leeds Tolkien found the time to make a lot of contributions on various Magazines and books like, Gryphon Magazine, Microcosm, TLS, Yorkshire Poetry, Leeds University Verse, e.o. Tolkien at Oxford Tolkien spent the rest of his career at Oxford, retiring in 1959. Although he produced little by today's "publish or perish" standards, his scholarly writings were of the highest caliber.

One of his most influential works is his lecture "Beowulf, the Monsters and the Critics." At Oxford Tolkien became a founding member of a loose group of like-minded Oxford friends "The Inklings" who met for conversation, drinks, and readings from their works-in-progress. Another prominent member was C. S. Lewis, who became one of Tolkien's closest friends. Tolkien, a devout Catholic, and Lewis, an agnostic at the time, frequently debated religion and the role of mythology. Unlike Lewis, who tended to dismiss myths and fairy tales, Tolkien firmly believed that they have moral and spiritual value. Said Tolkien, "The imagined beings have their inside on the outside; they are visible souls. And Man as a whole, Man pitted against the Universe, have we seen him at all till we see that he is like a hero in a fairy tale?" "In a hole in the ground . .

." It was also during his years at Oxford that Tolkien would scribble an inexplicable note in a student's exam book: "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit." Curious as to what exactly a "Hobbit" was and why it should live in a hole, he began to build a story about a short creature who inhabited a world called Middle-earth. This grew into a story he told his children, and in 1936 a version of it came to the attention of the publishing firm of George Allen and Unwin (now part of HarperCollins), who published it as The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, in 1937. It become an instant and enduring classic. Lord of the Rings Stanley Unwin, the publisher, was stunned by The Hobbit's success and asked for a sequel, which blossomed into a multivolume epic. While The Hobbit hinted at the history of Middle-earth that Tolkien had created in his "Lost Tales" (which he was now calling "The Silmarillion"), the sequel drew heavily upon it.

So determined was Tolkien to get every detail right that it took him more than a decade to complete the 12-book "Lord of the Rings." He often left off writing the story for months to hash out a linguistic problem or historical inconsistency. The Lord of the Rings appeared in 1954-1955 in three parts: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. While the book was eagerly received by the reading public, critical reviews were everything but neutral. Some critics, such as Philip Toynbee, deplored its fantasy setting, archaic language, and utter earnestness. Others, notably W. H. Auden and C. S. Lewis, lauded it for its straightforward narrative, imagination, and Tolkien's palpable love of language. The Lord of the Rings did not reach the height of its popularity until it finally appeared in paperback. Tolkien disliked paperbacks and hadn't authorized a paperback edition. In 1965, however, Ace Books exploited a legal loophole and published an unauthorized paperback version of The Lord of the Rings. Within months Ballantine published an official version (with a rather cross note about respecting an author's wishes).

The lower cost of paperbacks and the publicity generated by the copyright dispute boosted sales of the books considerably, especially in America where it was quickly embraced by the 60s counterculture. Nearly 50 years after its publication, Tolkien's epic tale has sold more than 100 million copies and been translated into more than 25 languages. Tolkien's Legacy The Lord of the Rings is a singular, contradictory work. Written in an almost archaic form, packed with strange words and obsure historical details, and lacking the modern emphasis on the "inner life," it is unabashedly antimodern. But at the same time its melancholy environmentalism and fully realized alternative world are very modern. It has often been read, among as other things, as an allegory of World War II or the Cold War, but Tolkien himself denied any such interpretation, maintaining it was simply a story to be taken on its own terms. Its enduring appeal, however, lies not in its literary oddness or straightforward action, but in its beautifully realized world and themes of loss, self-sacrifice, and friendship.

In its wake, Tolkien's work left not only a host of sword-and-sorcery imitators and devoted fans, but a lasting legacy in the hundreds of virtual worlds that have come to life in books and films since. Middle-earth after J.R.R. J.R.R. Tolkien died on September 2, 1973. His death did not mark the end of Middle-earth for readers, though. After Tolkien's death his son Christopher endeavored to complete his father's life work. He edited The Silmarillion and saw it published in 1977. In 1980 he began to publish the rest of his father's incomplete writings, culminating in the 12-volume History of Middle-earth series. “Biography: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien” 26 Jun 02 Carpenter, Humphrey. J R R Tolkien: A biography. Glasgow, 2002, Harper Collins. Carpenter, Humphrey. The Inklings: C S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and their friends. Glasgow, 1997, Harper Collins. Hammond, Wayne G and Christina Scull. J.R.R.

Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator. London, 1998, Harper Collins. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Humphrey Carpenter. Glasgow, 1995, Harper Collins. Photo Credits: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: Carpenter, Humphrey. J R R Tolkien: A biography. Photo by Billy Porter Edith Bratt: Carpenter, Humphrey. J R R Tolkien: A biography. Edith Bratt in 1906, age seventeen. J R R and his children: Carpenter, Humphrey. J R R Tolkien: A biography. Family group in the garden at Northmoor Road circa 1936. Enjoyed this post? Click to get future articles delivered by email or get the RSS feed . Spread the news about this J.R.R. Tolkien article: University of Leeds - Tolkien Gateway University of Leeds University of Leeds University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a centre for learning in the city of Leeds in Yorkshire, England. J.R.R. Tolkien taught there between 1920 and 1925 ; first as Reader but later a full Professor.

Contents 5 External links [ edit ] Tolkien at Leeds The University was Tolkien's second post- war employer. After the New English Dictionary and a year of tutoring students in Oxford , Tolkien decided to apply for a post at the University of Leeds. Tolkien had an interview with George S. Gordon, the University's Professor of English, in June 1920. [1] It was a fruitful job interview: Tolkien was appointed a Reader in English Language in October of the same year, with a free commission to develop the linguistic side of a large and growing School of English Studies. [2] The start was rough: though Gordon found Tolkien a room in Leeds, [3] Edith and young John still lived in Oxford . In weekends, Tolkien would go to his family - now expanded with the birth of Michael . Not until 1921 did Tolkien get full housing for his family, first at 5 Holly Bank [4] and then at 11 St. Mark's Terrace . [5] They later moved to 2 Darnley Road .

[6] Under Gordon, Tolkien began focusing on philology, and taught various courses, such as "History of English", "Middle English texts", "Old and Middle English philology", "introductory Germanic philology", the second-year course "Old Icelandic" and "Medieval Welsh". [2] He might even have continued to fret on some of his hardest assignments of his time at the OED; several notes of his time show his added thoughts on "walrus" and "walnut" in Leeds notebooks. [7] The post of Reader was changed into a Professorship, [3] and in 1922 , Tolkien was joined by E.V. Gordon . [5] Together, they started work on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , and Tolkien continued to work on his A Middle English Vocabulary . [8] A year later, they would be joined by Lascelles Abercrombie [3] and Wilfred Rowland Childe . [9] Tolkien left Leeds somewhat abruptly in 1925 when he was elected to the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professorship of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford , so that he actually occupied both posts simultaneously for the duration of 1926.

[3] Reflecting on his time at Leeds in a later letter, Tolkien refuted the idea that he did not enjoy his time there: I was devoted to the University of Leeds, which was very good to me, and to the students, whom I left with regret. The present students are among my most attentive readers... [10] Using J.R.R. Tolkien to teach corporate leadership | Kettering University News Using J.R.R. Tolkien to teach corporate leadership Nov 25, 2014 “Aragorn, Gandalf, Theoden and Denethor - what are the differences in the way they lead?” Photo via ThinkStock The 200-mile drive from Big Rapids, Michigan to Detroit was one that Dr. Laura Miller-Purrenhage was accustomed to as a child. It was a visit from her home in west Michigan to grandma’s house in southeast Detroit. It was usually an uneventful 2.5-hour drive in each direction but when Miller-Purrenhage was 12-years-old, one of those trips would transform her life for the better. “When I was 12, my mom read The Hobbit to me on a car trip.

At the end of it, I desperately wanted to know what happened next,” Miller-Purrenhage said. “It took me a year to read the Lord of the Rings after that and because of that I became an avid reader and because of that I became a literature professor.” Based on the first 11 years of her life, for Miller-Purrenhage to describe herself as an “avid reader” is a mini miracle. For the first part of her life the opposite was true - she never read. Dr. Laura Miller Purrenhage and Dr. Denise Stodola Related: New Liberal Studies faculty member documented 'survival strategies' of Flint retail workers “I was a late reader. I liked being read to but I did not find myself compelled to read at all,” Miller-Purrenhage said. “I think I was fascinated by fantasy. Nobody had given me fantasy stories to read before. It was a different world. It was a clash of good and evil.” Miller-Purrenhage didn’t stop at the Lord of the Rings either. As a 13-year-old she transitioned from epic to myth as she read The Silmarillion which is more of an encyclopedic history textbook than a deeply woven narrative.

“I’ve barely read anything in my life and the next book I’m reading is The Silmarillion,” said Miller-Purrenhage, laughing.” Tolkien’s stories have since guided her life as Miller-Purrenhage has partnered with fellow Kettering University Department of Liberal Studies faculty member Dr. Denise Stodola to make her lifelong passion for Tolkien into her professional pursuit as they have combined to offer LIT 374: Seminar on J.R.R. Tolkien as a Liberal Studies course for Kettering students. Re-Discovering Tolkien Stodola is a medievalist scholar who was attracted to the parallel between her studies of The Reeve’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer and Tolkien’s work. “It’s something that I was passionate about from a different perspective than most people,” Stodola said. “Tolkien himself was a medievalist like I am. I used Tolkien’s published academic materials in my own research because I was interested in the different dialects in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and Tolkien did a lot of work in linguistics.

You can certainly see his love of language in both The Silmarillion and the Lord of the Rings.” While Stodola’s pursuit of Tolkien was academic, Miller-Purenhage’s re-commitment to Tolkien occurred after a devastating personal health issue in the mid-2000s. Although Miller-Purrenhage, consistently re-read the Lord of the Rings every few years, it took a life-threatening illness for her to reflect on and guide her efforts to her truest passion. “During that time, you get to reflect a little bit,” Miller-Purrenhage said. “When I got back to work, I thought: what is it that I want to do more than anything else? I want to teach Tolkien.” So Miller-Purrenhage deviated from her work exploring identity through Russian, Polish and African-Caribbean poetry to focus on studying themes in Tolkien’s works. Miller-Purrenhage approached Stodola about developing the course together from the perspective of medieval studies and leadership and they have alternated teaching terms since 2012.

“What I found after reading Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion at the advanced stage was that the motifs that Tolkien uses are similar to what you find in some medieval works,” Stodola said. “When the chance came to teach it, I was like yeah, let’s do it.” Corporate Leadership in Tolkien’s Work Miller-Purrenhage wanted to develop a course that was relevant to Kettering students who split their educational careers between the classroom and corporate settings. She also wanted to direct her research to coincide with the themes of the classroom and chose to study leadership and withstanding evil - both narratives in Tolkien’s work that can be analogous to corporate environments. “We look at leadership. What makes an effective leader?,” Miller-Purrenhage said. “Aragorn, Gandalf, Theoden and Denethor - what are the differences in the way they lead?” Miller-Purrenhage uses the examples of Frodo and Sam to discuss how unethical behavior can be resisted in the corporate environments just as the hobbits resisted the temptations of the Ring. “What causes unethical behavior?,” Miller-Purrenhage said.

“We all hope to be good people but over and over again, we find that even the best of people can get corrupted.” Stodola explores similar themes when she teaches the course but also focuses more on rhetoric when discussing reluctant leaders, overall arguments Tolkien’s texts make about being decent human beings, the differences between myths and epics and providing students with the tools necessary to identify and interpret these premises on their own. Miller-Purrenhage researched and presented on the themes of leadership and ethics in 2012 and 2014 at the annual Tolkien conference held in England and continues to explore and relate these themes to Kettering students. Each of the conferences she attended concluded with a visit to Tolkien’s grave in Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford England. The scholars and attendees of the conference, gathered around the grave to sing a poem in Elvish while individuals left notes of appreciation for Tolkien and his “masterpieces of literature.” Just as they have re-inspired her scholarly pursuits, Miller-Purrenhage is hoping the texts can do the same for Kettering students. “I think Tolkien knew in his life that he’s affected many people with his work,” Miller-Purrenhage said.

Written By Pardeep Toor | Contact: Pardeep Toor - ptoor@kettering.edu - (800) 955-4464 ext. 5970 C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford Tweet C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien taught at Oxford University, in the city of Oxford in south-central England. They both started teaching in 1925. Lewis moved to Cambridge University in 1954, and Tolkien retired in 1959. They came to be very close friends during the roughly 30 years they were at Oxford together. Let's see what we can see today of their time at Oxford. The Tourist Information Centre in Oxford has lots of information. They sell a nice booklet for just £2 or so describing a very detailed walk around Oxford to see the C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien sights.

Lewis taught as a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1954, and then became the Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge. Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1945. He was then the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Merton College, Oxford, from 1945 until his retirement in 1959. Lewis and Tolkien were members of an informal literary discussion group known as the Inklings. They were literary enthusiasts who praised the value of narrative in fiction and encouraged the writing of fantasy. Warren Lewis, C.S.'s older brother, wrote, "Properly speaking, the Inklings was neither a club nor a literary society, though it partook of the nature of both. There were no rules, officers, agendas, or formal elections." They met in Lewis' rooms on the campus on Thursday evenings to read and discuss various material, including manuscripts they were working on. Less formally, they met regularly for lunch on Mondays or Tuesdays at the Eagle and Child pub, seen above and here.

It's on St Giles Street, just across St Giles Street and to the north of St John's College. The pub was part of an endowment belonging to University College since the 1600s. They sold it in December 2003 to St John's College, which also owns the Lamb and Flag pub across the street. The front section of the pub shows its age. The earliest date usually given for its construction is 1650, although there are claims that it served as the lodgings of the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Oxford was the Royalist capital during the English Civil War (1642-1649). These windows look out on St Giles Street. The Rabbit Room was the back corner room of the pub until it was expanded. This is where the Inklings met, near the fireplace just across from the bar. The pub was modernized in 1962, with the pub area extended toward the rear and the Rabbit Room being opened up and made less private. That led to the Inklings moving their gatherings across St Giles Street to the Lamb and Flag pub. Colin Dexter, who created Inspector Morse, has also been a more recent literary regular here.

The Eurobar sits on George Street in front of the coach station. For Americans, that's English for "bus station". Back when Tolkien was at Oxford, it had another name and didn't have the flashing gambling "fruits machine" now standard in British pubs. This was Tolkien's inspiration for The Prancing Pony. That's the inn where Frodo get raging drunk and starts singing, this leads to an attack by the Black Riders, and then Aragorn has to save them. I AM THE EXILED KING IN HIDING. And, I mean, really. We know that the third book is titled Return of the King. Aragorn might as well be wearing a T-shirt saying: Who didn't foresee his eventual role as that king way in advance, pretty much from his first appearance? As for the Prancing Pony itself: "Even from the outside the inn looked a pleasant house to familiar eyes. It had a front on the Road, and two wings running back on land partly cut out of the lower slopes of the hill, so that at the rear the second-floor windows were level with the ground.

There was a wide arch leading to a courtyard between the two wings, and on the left under the arch there was a large doorway reaches by a few broad steps. ... Above the arch there was a lamp, and beneath it swung a large signboard: a fat white pony reared up on its hind legs. Over the door was painted in white letters: THE PRANCING PONY by BARLIMAN BUTTERBUR." — The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" This is not an especially nice pub, it seems a little rough and it's right in the coach station parking lot. Although I guess that's kind of the "Prancing Pony" vibe, so that's probably the most appropriate. These are some views of Merton College, where Tolkien taught. It was one of the original three colleges of Oxford founded in 1264. Its Old Library is the oldest medieval library still in use. It has a number of 15th century astronomical instruments, including an astrolabe that may have been used by Chaucer. It's south of High Street, near prominent Christ Church College. This is Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis taught.

It's pronounced mawd-lin, as the English word "maudlin" came from the earlier pronunciation of what we now spell "Magdalene" and pronounce mag-dah-leen. The college was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete, the bishop of Winchester. The large square Magdalen Tower is a famous landmark of Oxford. It was built starting in 1492, completed in 1509. The college choir sings from the top of the tower at 6 AM every May 1st, a tradition since the tower was built during the days of Henry VII (ruled 1485-1509). They sing two traditional hymns, Humnus Eucharisticus and Now is the Month of Maying to start the May Morning celebrations in Oxford. The statues around this cloister within Magdalene College gave C.S. Lewis the idea for the statue-like frozen animals in Narnia . paoli-umc.com The chapel within Magdalen College dates from the late 15th century. It is a place of worship for members of Magdalen College, other members of the Oxford University community, and people from the community of Oxford.

Choral Evensong is sung every evening, with services every Sunday morning. This is the choir of the chapel. The choir, once spelled quire, is the area of a church or cathedral between the nave and the sanctuary. The carved wooden seats are known as choir stalls. This is a study hall within Magdalene College. This is the grand dining hall within Magdalene College. C.S. Lewis lived in this relatively modern residential hall. It is the New Building, constructed in 1733. The original plan was for this to be one side of a new large quadrangle, but this was the only side completed. Many of the rooms here are occupied by tutors. The student rooms are highly sought after as there are relatively few available. I've stayed at Oxford Backpackers, 9a Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW, +44-(0)1865-721-761, , it's a nice place in a great location. Other things to see in Oxford include the Ashmolean Museum and the Pitt Rivers collection. Lonely Planet described the Pitt Rivers collection as a place where Indiana Jones would feel at home. Definitely!

It's like a carefully labeled attic from a 1920s anthropology museum. Cases are packed with widely varying items. Adjacent cases contain: "Human Form in Religious Artifacts" "Zithers" "Algerian Surgical Instruments" and so on. It's not alphabetical, and it isn't thematic as far as I could see. Also check out the great Blackwells book store. Scotland and Orkney J.R.R. Tolkien - Author, Linguist - Biography.com J.R.R. Tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien is an internationally renowned fantasy writer. He is best known for authoring The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. IN THESE GROUPS » quotes “If you really want to know what Middle-earth is based on, it's my wonder and delight in the earth as it is, particularly the natural earth.” “Children aren't a class. They are merely human beings at different stages of maturity.

All of them have a human intelligence which even at its lowest is a pretty wonderful thing, and the entire world in front of them.” “The hobbits are just what I should like to have been but never was—an entirely unmilitary people who always came up to scratch in a clinch.” J.R.R. Tolkien Synopsis Born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, J.R.R. Tolkien settled in England as a child, going on to study at Exeter College. While teaching at Oxford University, he published the popular fantasy novels The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The works have had a devoted international fan base and been adapted into award-winning blockbuster films. Tolkien died in 1973 at 81. Early Life John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on January 3, 1892, to Arthur Tolkien and Mabel Suffield Tolkien. After Arthur Tolkien died from complications of rheumatic fever, Mabel settled with 4-year-old J.R.R. (then called Ronald) and his younger brother, Hilary, in the country hamlet of Sarehole, in Birmingham, England.

Mabel Tolkien died in 1904, and the Tolkien brothers were sent to live with a relative and in boarding homes, with a Catholic priest assuming guardianship in Birmingham. J.R.R. went on to get his first-class degree at Exeter College, specializing in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic languages and classic literature. He enlisted as a lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers and served in World War I, making sure to continue writing as well. He fought in the Battle of the Somme, in which there were severe casualties, and was eventually released from duty due to illness. In the midst of his military service, he’d married Edith Bratt in 1916. Career as a Scholar and Writer Continuing his linguistic studies, Tolkien joined the faculty of the University of Leeds in 1920 and a few years later became a professor at Oxford University. While there he started a writing group called The Inklings, which counted among its members C.S. Lewis and Owen Barfield.

It was also at Oxford, while grading a paper, that he spontaneously wrote a short line about "a hobbit." The award-winning fantasy novel The Hobbit—about the small, furry-footed Bilbo Baggins and his adventures—was published in 1937 and was regarded as a children’s book, though Tolkien would state the book wasn’t originally intended for children. He also created more than 100 drawings to support the narrative. Over the years, while working on scholarly publications, Tolkien developed the work that would come to be regarded as his masterpiece—the Lord of the Rings series, partially inspired by ancient European myths, with its own sets of maps, lore and languages. Tolkien released part one of the series, The Fellowship of the Ring, in 1954; The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed in 1955, finishing up the trilogy. The books gave readers a rich literary trove populated by elves, goblins, talking trees and all manner of fantastic creatures, including characters like the wizard Gandalf and the dwarf Gimli.

While Rings had its share of critics, many reviewers and waves upon waves of general readers took to Tolkien’s world, causing the books to become global best sellers, with fans forming Tolkien clubs and learning his fictional languages. Tolkien retired from professorial duties in 1959, going on to publish an essay and poetry collection, Tree and Leaf, and the fantasy tale Smith of Wootton Major. His wife Edith died in 1971, and Tolkien died on September 2, 1973, at the age of 81. He was survived by four children. Legacy The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series are grouped among the most popular books in the world, having sold tens of millions of copies. The Rings trilogy was also adapted by director Peter Jackson into a highly popular, award-winning trio of films starring Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett and Viggo Mortensen, among others. Jackson is also at the helm of a three-part Hobbit movie adaptation starring Martin Freeman, with the first installment being released at the end of 2012.

Tolkien's son Christopher has edited several works that weren't completed at the time of his father's death, including The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin, which were published posthumously. The Art of the Hobbit was published in 2012, celebrating the novel's 75th anniversary by presenting Tolkien's original illustrations. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Citation Information J.R.R. Tolkien - TeacherVision J.R.R. Tolkien Read this biography to learn about the life and career of author J.R.R. Tolkien. Grades: The Lord of the Rings (1954-5) Fellowship of the Ring The Return of the King The Silmarillion (1977) Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, a brilliant philologist, and a self-described "hobbit," J.R.R. Tolkien created two of the best-loved stories of the 20th century—The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Early Life John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, to English parents.

When he was three his mother brought him and his younger brother, Hilary, back to England, where they resided in the bucolic town of Sarehole. Tolkien's father died soon afterward. Tolkien's family lived in genteel poverty, eventually moving to a grimy suburb of Birmingham, just northwest of Sarehole. When he was 12, Tolkien's mother died, and he and his brother were made wards of a Catholic priest, though they lived with aunts and in boarding homes thereafter. The dichotomy between Tolkien's happier days in the rural landscape of Sarehole and his adolescent years in the industrial center of Birmingham would be felt strongly in his work. Education The young Tolkien attended King Edward's School in Birmingham, where he excelled in classical and modern languages. In 1911 he went to Exeter College, Oxford, where he studied Classics, Old English, Germanic languages, Welsh, and Finnish. He quickly demonstrated an aptitude for philology and began to create his own languages. The Great War By the time Tolkien had completed his degree at Oxford in 1915, World War I had erupted across Europe.

Tolkien enlisted and was commissioned in the Lancashire Fusiliers, but he did not see active duty for months. When he learned that he would be shipped out in March 1916, he married longtime friend Edith Bratt. Tolkien was sent to the Western Front and fought in the Somme offensive. Most of his closest friends were killed. After four months in and out of the trenches, he contracted a typhus-like infection and was sent back to England, where he served for the rest of the war. Academic Career Tolkien's first job was as a lexicographer on the New English Dictionary (helping to draft the Oxford English Dictionary ). During this time he began serious work on creating languages that he imagined had been spoken by elves. The languages were based primarily on Finnish and Welsh. He also began his "Lost Tales"—a mythic history of men, elves, and other creatures he created to provide context for his "Elvish" languages. He made the first public presentation of his tales when he read "The Fall of Gondolin" to an appreciative audience at the Exeter College Essay Club. Tolkien Trivia Tolkien went by Ronald or J.R.R. Tolkien.

The name Tolkien (pronounced: Tol-keen, equal stress on both syllables) is of German origin. It means "foolishly brave," or "stupidly clever." Tolkien's pseudonym was "Oxymore." Tolkien was bitten by a tarantula while a small boy in South Africa. Although very large, very evil spiders lurk in Middle-earth, he claimed he had no memory of being bitten and that he didn't dislike spiders at all. In a letter to W. H. Auden he wrote, "I usually rescue those whom I find in the bath!" Tolkien drew his own illustrations and book jacket designs. His original design for the west gate of Moria is used in the upcoming film. Tolkien established himself as a contrarian early on. While still a schoolboy he gave a debate-club speech opposing the Norman Conquest. Tolkien and his wife, Edith, had three sons and a daughter. From 1920–1943, Tolkien wrote them illustrated letters from Santa Claus for Christmas. A selection of these was published in 1976 as The Father Christmas Letters. J.R.R.

and Edith Tolkien are buried together in a single grave in Wolvercote cemetery, Oxford. The legend on the headstone reads: Edith Mary Tolkien, Luthien, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Beren, 1892-1973 Tolkien then became a professor in English Language at the University of Leeds, where he collaborated with E. V. Gordon on the famous edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Tolkien remained at Leeds until 1925, when he took a position teaching Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. Tolkien at Oxford Tolkien spent the rest of his career at Oxford, retiring in 1959. Although he produced little by today's "publish or perish" standards, his scholarly writings were of the highest caliber. One of his most influential works is his lecture "Beowulf, the Monsters and the Critics." At Oxford Tolkien became a founding member of a loose group of like-minded Oxford friends—"The Inklings"—who met for conversation, drinks, and readings from their works-in-progress. Another prominent member was C. S. Lewis, who became one of Tolkien's closest friends.

Tolkien, a devout Catholic, and Lewis, an agnostic at the time, frequently debated religion and the role of mythology. Unlike Lewis, who tended to dismiss myths and fairy tales, Tolkien firmly believed that they have moral and spiritual value. Said Tolkien, "The imagined beings have their inside on the outside; they are visible souls. And Man as a whole, Man pitted against the Universe, have we seen him at all till we see that he is like a hero in a fairy tale?" "In a hole in the ground . . ." It was also during his years at Oxford that Tolkien would scribble an inexplicable note in a student's exam book: "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit." Curious as to what exactly a "Hobbit" was and why it should live in a hole, he began to build a story about a short creature who inhabited a world called Middle-earth. This grew into a story he told his children, and in 1936 a version of it came to the attention of the publishing firm of George Allen and Unwin (now part of HarperCollins), who published it as The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, in 1937.

It became an instant and enduring classic. Lord of the Rings Stanley Unwin, the publisher, was stunned by The Hobbit's success and asked for a sequel, which blossomed into a multivolume epic. While The Hobbit hinted at the history of Middle-earth that Tolkien had created in his "Lost Tales" (which he was now calling "The Silmarillion"), the sequel drew heavily upon it. So determined was Tolkien to get every detail right that it took him more than a decade to complete the 12-book "Lord of the Rings." He often left off writing the story for months to hash out a linguistic problem or historical inconsistency. The Lord of the Rings appeared in 1954–1955 in three parts: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. While the book was eagerly received by the reading public, critical reviews were everything but neutral. Some critics, such as Philip Toynbee, deplored its fantasy setting, archaic language, and utter earnestness. Others, notably W. H. Auden and C. S. Lewis, lauded it for its straightforward narrative, imagination, and Tolkien's palpable love of language.

The Lord of the Rings did not reach the height of its popularity until it finally appeared in paperback. Tolkien disliked paperbacks and hadn't authorized a paperback edition. In 1965, however, Ace Books exploited a legal loophole and published an unauthorized paperback version of The Lord of the Rings. Within months Ballantine published an official version (with a rather cross note about respecting an author's wishes). The lower cost of paperbacks and the publicity generated by the copyright dispute boosted sales of the books considerably, especially in America where it was quickly embraced by the 60s counterculture. Nearly 50 years after its publication, Tolkien's epic tale has sold more than 100 million copies and been translated into more than 25 languages. In 1999 Amazon.com customers voted The Lord of the Rings the "book of the millennium." Tolkien's Legacy The Lord of the Rings is a singular, contradictory work. Written in an almost archaic form, packed with strange words and obsure historical details, and lacking the modern emphasis on the "inner life," it is unabashedly antimodern. But at the same time its melancholy environmentalism and fully realized alternative world are very modern.

It has often been read, among other things, as an allegory of World War II or the Cold War, but Tolkien himself denied any such interpretation, maintaining it was simply a story to be taken on its own terms. Its enduring appeal, however, lies not in its literary oddness or straightforward action, but in its beautifully realized world and themes of loss, self-sacrifice, and friendship. In its wake, Tolkien's work left not only a host of sword-and-sorcery imitators and devoted fans, but also a lasting legacy in the hundreds of virtual worlds that have come to life in books and films since. Middle-earth after J.R.R. J.R.R. Tolkien died on September 2, 1973. His death did not mark the end of Middle-earth for readers, though. After Tolkien's death, his son Christopher endeavored to complete his father's life work. He edited The Silmarillion and saw it published in 1977. In 1980 he began to publish the rest of his father's incomplete writings, culminating in the 12-volume History of Middle-earth series. Provided by

Question: At what university did J.R.R. Tolkien teach?
Answer: Oxford