Saints: Tolkien Fights the Nazis (Sort of)
J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973):
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, philologist, and Oxford professor best known for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the mythology of Middle-earth. Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Tolkien moved to England as a young child, lost both parents before his teenage years were over, and developed an early fascination with languages, medieval literature, and the ancient legends of northern Europe. He studied at Oxford and served in the British Army during the First World War. After the war, he pursued an academic career studying Old and Middle English while privately inventing languages, histories, and mythologies of his own. In 1938, he challenged a German publisher's demand to establish his Aryan ancestry before translating The Hobbit, and during the Second World War he condemned Hitler's appropriation of the northern traditions he loved. With the publication of The Lord of the Rings in 1954–1955, Tolkien became one of the most influential fantasy writers of the twentieth century.
For More:
- The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien : Edited by Humphrey Carpenter, revised and expanded by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
- J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography — Humphrey Carpenter
- The Silmarillion — J.R.R. Tolkien
Create Yourself Alive — Charleston, November 2–3
Join Rainier Wylde for the first Create Yourself Alive: a small, intimate, two-day immersion for writers and creators in Charleston South Carolina. Bring your current project, your questions, and whatever you’re ready to begin or bring toward completion. A few places remain.
One-on-One Creative Mentorship
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The Creators Collective
Continue exploring the creative life through classes, conversation, and community. Get the most recent class about Tolkien!
