Fantasy Author
Image taken from wikipedia.org
J.R.R. Tolkien is considered by many to be one of the greatest fantasy writers of all-time. He created a totally original world with characters that are beloved by millions. But this mans life was anything but as perfect as his writing. His childhood was fraught with difficulties that would plague him all the way into his adulthood. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa to English parents who emigrated there. While he was in England visiting some family members, his father died. Tolkien now has only his mother and siblings.
He had a close relationship with his mother and she is responsible for his love of mythology and languages. During the First World War, John joined the army with his friends. He participated in the infamous Battle of the Somme and saw the true horrors of the world. During rare moments of quiet in the trenches, Tolkien wrote stories in a notebook which would eventually be published as The Silmarillion. Middle-Earth was born. His closest friends were killed during the war and Tolkien returned to England to go to Oxford college. He excelled in school and eventually landed a teaching job.
While grading papers one day, he turned over a piece of paper and wrote “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit…” For the next decade and a half of his life, Tolkien created one of the most extraordinary pieces of literature ever written.
