JRR Tolkien was born on 3rd January 1892 in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State (now Free State Province, South Africa). After serving in the First World War, Tolkien embarked on a distinguished academic career and was recognised as one of the finest philologists in the world. He is, however, best known as the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin.
His books have been translated into more than 40 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide. He was awarded a CBE and an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Oxford University in 1972. He died in 1973 at the age of 81.
Christopher Tolkien, born on 21st November 1924, is the third son of JRR Tolkien. Appointed by Tolkien to be his literary executor, he has devoted himself since his father's death in 1973 to the editing and publication of unpublished writings, notably The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, The Silmarillion, and the collections entitled Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle-earth. He and his wife Baillie have lived in France since 1975.
Fact file
Name: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
Education: Exeter College, Oxford
Place of birth: Bloemfontein, SA
Date of birth: 3rd January 1892
.
