John Ronald Reuel (JRR) Tolkien was born on the 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein, the Orange Free State, South Africa and moved to England with his mother Mabel Suffield and younger brother at the age of four. It is said that when still in South Africa he was bitten by a baboon spider, which may have been the inspiration for Shelob, the evil giant spider that appears at the end of the fourth book (The Journey to Mordor) of the author’s most famous work The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien’s childhood may have formed much of the imagery depicted in his works, perhaps most notably the images and descriptions of The Shire which almost mimicked certain parts of England throughout his childhood.

During their home leave to England, Tolkien’s father Arthur died of rheumatic fever in South Africa and the family never returned to Bloemfontein again. Arthur’s death left the family without an income and Tolkien was forced to go and live with his mother’s family in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Perhaps the most inspirational setting of Tolkien’s life might have been at his aunt Jane’s farm called Bag End, which later became a major setting in his books.

Another place of inspiration for Tolkien was when in 1911, eight years after his mother’s death, he travelled to Switzerland. The scenic Alpine scenery must also have influenced the writer greatly through the account of Bilbo’s journey across the Misty Mountains in his work The Hobbit. In the same year Tolkien began his studies at Exeter College, Oxford. At first he studied Classics but later changed to English Language. He graduated in 1915.

In 1916 Tolkien volunteered for military service under the British Crown and Britain’s World War One campaign. In the trenches he lost many of his childhood friends; this had a profound effect on him and perhaps his obsession with epic battles found throughout his works began during that exact time.

After the war, the author took up a vacancy as a Reader in English Language at the University of Leeds and only four years later was made professor. During his academic career Tolkien became almost fanatical about his studies in Anglo-Saxon mythology and it is said that the old Scandinavian poem Beowulf was the basis for much of his work to follow. According to W.H. Auden, the character of Gandalf was Tolkien himself when he recited Beowulf in front of his students.

Tolkien first wrote The Hobbit when at Pembroke College in Oxford and also the first two volumes of The Lord of The Rings.

Once he completed The Lord of the Rings, which was published for the first time 1954, Tolkien quickly became a cult-figure and was especially hailed by the 60’s hippie movement, much to the disapproval of his staunch Catholic upbringing.

Tolkien moved to Bournemouth with his wife Edith Mary Tolkien in 1959 up to his death in 1973. Tolkien will always be remembered as a legendary writer.

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Category: Writing
Keywords: lord of the rings