J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time, lived a fulfilling life, giving back to the world his gift of writing by teaching students what he knew and leaving a legacy of novels and stories for future generations to read. Tolkien created unique worlds separate from Earth through his written works, complete with the invention of languages, maps, and histories. Through these stories, readers are able to escape from reality and enter an exciting fantasy.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontain, Orange Free State (known today as South Africa) (Crabbe vii) on January 3, 1892. Of English ethnicity, (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1), J.R.R. Tolkien was, even as a child, always fascinated by both the ancient and modern languages of Northern Europe. He was also especially interested in creating his own languages (Lippert1).
Tolkien’s family consisted of his father, Arthur, who was a banker, mother Mabel, and brother, Hilary. Excluding Arthur, the entire family moved to Mercia, England from Orange Free State in April of 1895. They awaited the arrival of Arthur who intended to join them in England when time permitted. During this period, Tolkien’s father passed away, having never made the journey to reunite with his family. Severe hemorrhage and chronic Rheumatic Fever were the causes of his death on February 15, 1896 (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1).
Mabel Tolkien died when she was thirty-four years old on November 14, 1904 from a diabetic coma. After her death, Tolkien and his brother were put in the care of Father Francis Morgan, a priest of the Birmingham Oratory. In 1908 they moved into their own house behind the Oratory (“Bio of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1).
Tolkien’s education consisted of many years of study. Being as famous as he is today, it is hard for one to believe that he would have made mistakes throughout his school days. For example, in 1899 he took the King Edwards School Exam and failed. Thankfully when he retook the exam a year later, he was accepted into the school. Trying to save money, Tolkien’s mother sent both he and his brother to St. Philips Grammar School. When Tolkien won a scholarship to King Edwards, he returned there in 1903 (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1).
By 1908, J.R.R. Tolkien began school at Oxford University, and on December 17, 1910, won the Open Classical Exhibition Award to Exeter College. His impressive English skills helped him in 1911, when he won a scholarship from Oxford to study the classics. Tolkien graduated Oxford with a First Class Degree in English Language and Literature in 1915 (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1).
Becoming second lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers, Tolkien joined the British Army in 1915 and was sent to France (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1). He fought in the Battle of Somme in World War I in the year 1916. Later that year, in November, he was taken out of the Army because of Shell Shock, or “trench fever,” and was hospitalized (Crabbe vii-viii).
Beginning his career in English, Tolkien joined the staff for the Oxford Dictionary from 1918 to 1920. He became a Reader in the English Language in 1920 at Leeds University, and became the Professor of the English Language that same year. Moving his profession to Oxford University where he spent his college years, J.R.R. Tolkien taught as the Rawlingson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Fellow of Pembroke College from 1925 to 1945 (Lippert 1). He became the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature in 1945, and retired from Oxford University in 1959 (Crabbe vii-viii).
In 1936, J.R.R. Tolkien gave his first lecture, “The Monsters and the Critics.” This lecture centered around the epic of “Beowulf.” Another lecture was given in 1939 titled “On Fairy-Stories” at St. Andrews University (Crabbe vii-viii).
Tolkien’s greatest creations were his writings. The Silmarillion, which was begun in 1917 when he was hospitalized with “trench fever,” (Lippert 1) was edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, and published posthumously in 1977 (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1-2). Probably Tolkien’s most famous novel, The Hobbit or There and Back Again, was completed in 1936 and published in 1937 by Stanly Unwin. According to The Tolkien Archives, it “…proved to be so successful that Sir Stanly was soon asking for a sequel” (“Bio of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1-2).
The Hobbit is a story about a creature named Bilbo Baggins, who happens to be a hobbit himself. Hobbits are peaceful creatures that are generally less than four feet tall, enjoy a simple and well-fed lifestyle, and always stay within their home area called “The Shire,” a part of the land of Middle-Earth. In the story, Bilbo travels on an adventure to recover stolen treasure with thirteen dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf. They encounter dragons, orcs, giant spiders, wood-elves, and man on their journey. The scenery in The Hobbit is so detailed that it is possible to vividly imagine the mountains, rivers, and towns described in the story. Bilbo discovers from his adventures that he is, in fact, braver than he thought, and gains self-confidence by saving his friends repeatedly during the story. By the end of the novel, Bilbo returns to his home, Bag End, and begins to write his own book about his adventures titled There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Holiday (Tolkien).
The sequel to The Hobbit, titled The Lord of the Rings, was completed in its entirety in 1948 (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1-2). It was published in three volumes; the first two-The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers-were both published in 1954. The third and final volume, The Return of the King, was published in 1955 (Crabbe vii-viii). The Lord of the Rings had its first American paperback edition published in 1965 (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1-2). Lesser-known works of Tolkien include: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written with E.V. Gordon and published in 1925, Farmer Giles of Ham, published in 1949, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, published in 1962, Tree and Leaf, published in 1964, Smith of Wooten Major, published in 1967, and The Father Christmas Letters, which was published posthumously in 1976 (Crabbe vii-viii).
J.R.R. Tolkien was married on March 22, 1916 to Edith Bratt, “his childhood sweetheart” (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1). Tolkien’s first son, John, was born in 1917. His second son, Michael, was born in 1920, and his third son, Christopher, was born in 1924. In 1929, Tolkien’s fourth child and first daughter, Priscilla, was born (Crabbe vii-viii). Edith Bratt died on November 29, 1971 (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1).
Though he was a scholar, professor, and an author, J.R.R. Tolkien had his own hobbies and interests. In approximately 1933 he began telling stories to his children about Bilbo Baggins, thus inspiring ideas for his book The Hobbit. (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1). Inventing languages was Tolkien’s private hobby. “He was also interested in Middle English, especially the dialect used in the Ancrene Wisse (a twelfth century manuscript probably composed in western England)” (Lippert 1). In fact, J.R.R. Tolkien’s expertise was in languages: he studied Anglo-Saxon (also known as Old English) and its relation to similar languages such as Old Norse, Old German, and Gothic. He also studied the dialect of where he lived in Mercia, England. Tolkien also enjoyed reading works by William Morris and George MacDonald (Lippert 1).
Some interesting facts are revealed about J.R.R. Tolkien’s life. He was addressed as Ronald during his life; not John, his legal first name (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1). Tolkien was also very good friends with the famous C.S. Lewis, a Christian author who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. This may have had to do with the fact that Tolkien had “a very real and deeply-held belief in and devotion to Catholic Christianity” (Lippert 1). One of the most amusing aspects of Tolkien’s life is his work The Silmarillion. It was begun in 1917, but was not published until 1977: 60 years after it was started (Crabbe vii-viii).
In a private hospital in Bournemouth, England, J.R.R. Tolkien died on September 2, 1973 at eighty-one years of age (“Bio. Of J.R.R. Tolkien” 1). The world lost a dedicated and talented author at this time; but with his fascination creations of different worlds, creatures, and especially languages, Tolkien’s work will live on. Whether it is by his very oldest of fans, or fans just beginning to view Tolkien’s work, he will continue to be remembered as J.R.R. Tolkien: scholar, author, legend, and architect of Middle-Earth.
