J.R.R. Tolkien

1. J.R.R. Tolkien Father of Middle Earth

2. 1892 • John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born January 3, 1892. His father was Arthur Tolkien and mother was Mabel Suffield.

3. 1911 • Tolkien attended Exeter College in Oxford, England. There he joined many clubs to do with speech and literature. He also was in T.B.C.S, a club he formed with friends from when he was younger.

4. 1915 • Tolkien received his First Class Degree from Oxford for English Language and Liturature. • Invents the language Qenya, which was based off Finnish.

5. 1916 • Tolkien marries Edith Bratt March 22, 1916 before heading to the Western Front as lieutenant in the British Army. • He returned to England when he became sick with “trench fever”.

6. 1916 • Tolkien begins to write “The Book of Lost Tales” which contains early versions oh the major stories in “The Silmarillion”.

7. 1925 • Tolkien returns to Oxford as a Professor of Anglo-Saxon culture. • There he helped form the Inklings, which studied and wrote works of literature. • One of the most famous Inklings was C.S. Lewis.

8. 1937 • “The Hobbit” was published by Stanly Unwin. • The book was a huge success and is still published today.

9. 1954-1955 • “Lord of the Rings” was published. • The books were a huge success. • The books reestablished fantasy as an adult genre. • It has sold over 50 million copies and is translated into about 30 languages.

10. 1973 • J.R.R. Tolkien died September 2, 1973. • He is buried next to his wife, Edith.

11. 1977 • “The Silmarillion” was published by Tolkien’s son, Christopher.

12. Today • Tolkien’s unpublished works, such as “The Children of Húrin”(2007), are being published by his son, Christopher. He is titled as one of the greatest authors of the 21 century.