John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, (; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor who is best known as the author of the classic high-fantasy works "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", and "The Silmarillion". 

He served as the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1945 and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, from 1945 to 1959. He was at one time a close friend of C. S. Lewis—they were both members of the informal literary discussion group known as the Inklings. Tolkien was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972. 

After Tolkien's death, his son Christopher published a series of works based on his father's extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including "The Silmarillion". These, together with "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about a fantasy world called Arda and Middle-earth within it. Between 1951 and 1955, Tolkien applied the term "legendarium" to the larger part of these writings. 

While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" led directly to a popular resurgence of the genre. This has caused Tolkien to be popularly identified as the "father" of modern fantasy literature—or, more precisely, of high fantasy. In 2008, "The Times" ranked him sixth on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". "Forbes" ranked him the 5th top-earning "dead celebrity" in 2009.
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ohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien
ohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien
classic high-fantasy works
classic high-fantasy works
The Hobbit
The Hobbit
yes
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
yes
The Silmarillion
england
English 
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Inklings
Inklings
father" of modern fantasy literature
father" of modern fantasy literature
3 January 1892
3 January 1892
no
2 September 1973
2 September
2 September 
1973
1973
tales, poems
tales, poems
English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor
English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor
Arda
Arda 
Middle-earth
Middle-earth
sixth
sixth 
he 50 greatest British writers
he 50 greatest British writers