John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 - September 2, 1973) was the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and "The Silmarillion". From 1925 to 1945 Tolkien, was a professor of Old English language at Oxford, and from 1945 to 1959 he was a professor of English studies English language and literature, also at Oxford. He was a devout Roman Catholic and a close friend of C.S. Lewis, with whom he was a part of The Inklings, a literary discussion group.
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