M E N U   Home What is O'Casey's? What's On? This Month's Author Our Readers Photo Gallery Recordings Archives Get Involved!    J.   R.   R.   T O L K I E N   "Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens." John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE is arguably the most famous and one of the most successful fantasy authors ever to have lived. Often hailed as the 'father of modern fantasy literature', Tolkien is most well-known for his epic fantasy saga The Lord of the Rings, comprising the trilogy of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. His first novel was The Hobbit, a children's book published in 1937. A professor of Anglo-Saxon and English Language and Literature at Oxford University, Tolkien wrote many essays, letters, songs, poems and plays which were published both in his lifetime and posthumously. Tolkien was a committed member of the Roman Catholic Church and wrote extensively in his letters of his faith and political beliefs. In early adulthood Tolkien formed significant friendships with other celebrated authors, most notably fellow fantasy author C. S. Lewis. As a young man, Tolkien was enrolled in the British Army and participated in the Battle of the Somme, one of World War One's most bitter conflicts. A noted philologist from an early age, Tolkien began his literary career working on the Oxford English Dictionary. It was his love of language that encouraged Tolkien to develop the fictional 'Elvish' languages of Sindarin and Quenya, then to create a world (Arda) in which they originated. Tolkien also wrote a number of short stories throughout his life which focused upon his great love for the world of 'faerie', the last of which was his final published work, Smith of Wooton Major. His son Christopher Tolkien continues to edit and publish his father's writings to this day, the most notable of which being The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth and the twelve volume History of Middle-earth series. Together these constitute the 'legendarium' of the world in which The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are set. In 2007, Christopher Tolkien published The Children of Húrin, the only posthumously completed novel of Tolkien's Middle-earth. Tolkien's works have been an inspiration to a myriad of writers, artists and filmmakers. The Lord of the Rings has been adapted for radio, animated film and most recently, in three blockbuster films directed by New Zealand director Peter Jackson. The film trilogy starred actors such as Sir Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee, a noted Tolkien enthusiast, and remains the highest grossing motion picture trilogy of all time. In March 1972, Tolkien was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. He died on 2nd September 1973 and is buried with his wife Edith in Oxford. Official website: http://www.tolkienestate.com/