History Focus
September 2

An Oxford scholar of medieval English.

He died September 2, 1973, at the age of 81.

He is remembered for his tale of good verses evil written for his children. The story of a furry footed hobbit, Bilbo Baggins grew into a mighty saga of warriors, wizards, elves, demons, trolls and goblins locked in a struggle of good and evil. The fate of Middle Earth was hanging on a lost ring. This ring was the ring of Sauron.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born Bloemfontein, South Africa, on Jan. 3, 1892. He and his family moved to England when he was 4 years old. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford. He was a professor at Oxford from 1925 to 1959. He first gained recognition as a philologist, a person who studies the way language is used in literature. Tolkien's scholarly work at the University of Oxford concerned Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature. His work led him to help edit a version of the English fable 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' that was published in 1925. Tolkien wrote criticism and served as the Merton Professor of English at Oxford from 1945 to 1959.

Tolkien not only studied fables; he created new ones of his own. His scholarly work with Anglo-Saxon literature made him quite capable of writing his own fantasies. He invented an imaginary land, Middle Earth. This was a meticulous detailed creation. He developed the Middle Earth's language, geography, and its exciting history. The heroes of his world were rather short, rather stout, and had very furry feet. These creatures were named Hobbits. 'The Hobbit; or, There and Back Again', was published in 1937 as a children's book. It introduced a world of elves, dwarfs, and wizards. Its hero was Bilbo Baggins, hobbit, who fought and won against an evil dragon. The story of Bilbo Baggins was written for his children. The tale continued to grow into a saga of good verses evil.

This story is continued in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy (1954-55), consisting of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers', and 'The Return of the King'. It is an imaginative, profound tale of the conflict between good and evil. The books were published in the mid 50's but were hardly noticed by the public. These tales became very popular in the 1960s, especially among young adults. Tolkien suddenly found himself the revered guru of the generation of "flower children." Tolkien cared very little about his popularity. He knew and cared very little about the modern world. His world resided within his own study and imagination. The Silmarillion (1977), which presents the mythological beginnings of Middle Earth, and Unfinished Tales (1980), which contains unincorporated stories, were edited and completed by Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien. These two books were published after his death in Bournemouth, England, on September 2, 1973.

Sources: Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) | Compton’s Encyclopedia