J.R.R.Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 3rd January 1892 in Bloemfontein, USA. At the age of four he moved back to England where his family were originally from. He spent a happy childhood in the countryside; his understanding of nature is clear in his books. His mother died tragically when Tolkien was only 12 years old, and he and his brother were sent to King Edward's School in Birmingham. This is where his love of literature began. After completing a degree in English Language and Literature at Oxford University, he married Edith Bratt. Shortly after this he was commisioned for the first world war.
After the war, Tolkien began to write his first book called 'The Lost Book of Tales', which we know toady as 'The Silmarillion'. In 1920, he began his distinguished academic career when he was appointed as Reader of the English Language at Leeds University before later becoming Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford. Meanwhile he wrote his classic book, 'The Hobbit' for his children. Stanley Unwin, his publisher, asked for a sequel to 'The Hobbit', and so gradually over twelve years he wrote his emmense novel, 'The Lord of the Rings', which wasn't published until his retirement. After his retirement, he and his wife moved to Bournemouth, though he returned to Oxford in 1971 when his wife died. Tolkien died on 28th September 1973 at the age of 81, although his legendary tales will live on for many years to come.
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