JRR Tolkien

Tomorrow the author JRR Tolkien is celebrated with a National Day.

As you probably know, Tolkien is the author of his most famous works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series.

The fact that Peter Jackson made movies out of his works added to the notoriety.  Tolkien was already famous for his books but the movies boosted his acclaim.

You know the name of JRR Tolkien but what else do you know about the man?

Tolkien was born in South Africa on January 3, 1892.  He moved with his mother and brother to England when his father died.  He was 4 years old.

His mother converted to Catholicism and was so devout that her son was as well.  Upon her death in 1904 both brothers became wards of a Catholic priest.

Tolkien fought in WW1 in the first Battle of the Somme and later taught English at the University of Leeds and Oxford University.

He had an interesting background that influenced his writing but a greater interest was his friendship with CS Lewis.

The interesting part of their friendship was the formation of a writing group called The Inklings.  

From this group and his friendship with Lewis the story of The Lord of the Rings was born.

It turns out that Tolkien loved myths and legends.  He actually came up with “Elvish languages” that could be worked into his stories.

His book The Hobbit was so successful that 17 years after this publisher asked for a sequel he produced The Lord of the Rings.  

The work was originally broken down into three parts in the event that they would not sell but of course that was an unnecessary concern.

The works of JRR Tolkien live today and are still enjoyed by many around the globe.  

Private Home Health Care appreciates the creativity of JRR Tolkien and we are happy to share his life on his birthday, one hundred and thirty-four years later.