J.R.R. Tolkien is arguably one of the greatest writers to have lived. His work, The Lord of The Rings, popularized the fantasy genre, and still influences the genre and inspires many new writers.

Early Life

John Ronald Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, to Arthur Reuel Tolkien and Mabel Suffield in Bloemfontein, S.A. After his father died on February 15, 1896, Tolkien, his younger brother Hilary and his mother moved to England.

In England, Tolkien lived in between two places: Sarehole and Birmingham. In Birmingham, he went to King Edward’s School, where he showed great proficiency in languages. Eventually, Tolkien and his family moved to the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston.

Tolkien and his family lived on the borderline of poverty. When his mother died from diabetes on November 14, 1904, he and his brother were taken in by Father Francis.

Adult Life

Tolkien got his first-class degree in June 1915 at Oxford. In World War 1, he enlisted as a second lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers. He was posted in Staffordshire before being shipped to France. Before he left, he married Edith Bratt in 1916.

After four months, Tolkien caught Trench Fever, and he was subsequently sent back to England.

After the war, Tolkien became an Associate Professor in the English Language at the University of Leeds. At this time, Tolkien had three sons: John Francis Reuel, Michael Hilary Reuel and Christopher Reuel.

During his time as a professor at Oxford, his daughter, Priscilla, was born in 1929.

Tolkien’s Writings

Throughout Tolkien’s life, the beginnings of what would be known as the world of Middle-earth took form in his imagination. However, it wasn’t until the publication of The Hobbit in 1937 that his work became known.

Soon after, Tolkien wrote The Lord of The Rings. It achieved great popularity and made Tolkien quite rich. However, the popularity was too much for Tolkien, so he moved to Bournemouth and changed his number.

The End of A Full Life

Edith died on November 29, 1971. Tolkien followed her three years later, on September 2, 1973. They’re buried together in Wolvercote cemetery.