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J. R. R. Tolkien

Also Known As John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

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An English writer and philologist, born John Ronald Reuel Tolkien in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State, though he regarded himself as English. He spent his academic career at Oxford, serving as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1925 and later as Merton Professor of English Language and Literature until his retirement in 1959. His high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954 to 1955) brought fantasy into the literary mainstream and, though earlier authors had written fantasy before him, led to his popular identification as the father of modern fantasy literature. After his death his son Christopher edited and published further material from his notes, including The Silmarillion. Tolkien died on 2 September 1973.

Facts
Birth Year
1892 1
Birth Date
1892-01-03 1
Death Year
1973 1
Death Date
1973-09-02 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Features Author

Fantasy, Genres
Source Fantasy (Wikipedia)

In Genre

Fantasy, Genres

The success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings ignited mainstream interest in fantasy and led to his popular identification as the father of modern fantasy literature.

Works Attributed

Sources
1. J. R. R. Tolkien (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)lead section, fantasy genre
Quote, lead section, fantasy genre
While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the tremendous success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings ignited a profound interest in the fantasy genre ... This has led to his popular identification as the 'father' of modern fantasy literature.
View the Source
1. J. R. R. Tolkien (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Biography section, birth
Quote, Biography section, birth
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State
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1. J. R. R. Tolkien (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Final years section, death
Quote, Final years section, death
When Tolkien died 21 months later on 2 September 1973 from a bleeding ulcer and chest infection, at the age of 81, he was buried in the same grave
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The Hobbit (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Works Attributed: The Hobbit, Lead, opening
Quote, Works Attributed: The Hobbit, Lead, opening
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim
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The Lord of the Rings (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Works Attributed: The Lord of the Rings, Lead, opening
Quote, Works Attributed: The Lord of the Rings, Lead, opening
An epic high fantasy novel written by the English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book The Hobbit but eventually developed into a much larger work.
View the Source
Fantasy (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Features Author: FantasyView the Source
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