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"It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish."-Tolkien.

J.R.R. Tolkien was many things to many people. He was a major scholar of the English language, as well as a philosopher, teacher, solider and father. Known as the "Father of Fantasy," he inspired the world of fiction as we know it.By looking a his life,the novels he wrote as well as the result of his works we will come to realize just how important he was in the world of Literature.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His parents were Arthur and Mabel Tolkien, both whom originated from England before transferring to South Africa. John's father, a bankrupt piano manufacturer, moved to Africa in order to make a profit off of the gold rush in the area. Falling upon hard times in Africa, Arthur sent his wife, John, and John's younger brother, Hilary, back to Birmingham, England to stay till the money was better. But four years later, while still in Africa, Arthur died of a hemorrhage from rheumatic fever. His death drove the Tolkien family, who were still living in England, further into debt making Mabel to rely heavily on family and the Catholic Church for support. John's mother died soon afterwards in 1904 from diabetes, leaving both of her son, John and Hilary, orphaned. His brother, Hilary, ended up living with family and going to King Edward's School while John served in WWI and married his childhood sweetheart Edith Bratt. J.R. finally started his first book while recovering in the Hospital from trench fever. Afterwards he returned to Oxford to become a teacher of Angleo-Saxon language, or the Old English language. During this time as a professor, John formed the 'Inklings' club between C.S. Lewis,the author behind The Chronicals of Narnia, and Tangye Lean, whom eventually left the 'Inklings', after which Tolkian and Lewis extend the 'Inklings' into the 'Coalbiters'. In 1937 J.R. finally finished his first full length publication called The Hobbit. Eighteen years later The Lord of the Rings novel is finished and published as J.R. finished out his teaching career. The Lord of the Rings was originally met with mixed feeling but soon became a smash hit as the hippie era came into being. At the age of eighty-one, J.R.R. Tolkien died September 2, 1973 after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in June of that same year.

The works of Tolkien are mostly consisted of a world he invented back when he was in his early and late teens studying French and other Germanic texts at the church in which he was raised. Middle-Earth was a highly developed world that had it's own country and dialects per each area as well as different languages, alphabets and even religions depending on the area. Being an professor of languages and a lover of Philosophy, Tolkien used the knowledge he had of the existing world to create Middle-Earth. The History of Middle Earth was the first book published among others such as Silmarillion, which covered facts of Middle-Earth as well. Finally finishing the last of the series in 1955.Besides the Trilogy Tolkien released many other lesser known texts such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,Farmer Giles of Ham, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Tolkien even worked for the Oxford dictionary at a point offering his services in his Understanding of the spoken word.

Tolkien inspired many people with his detailed style and fantastic worlds including his friend and college C.S. Lewis as well as the Now Popular J.K. Rowlings of the Harry Potter series. After his books fantasy was finally launched into a category all it's own being the forefront of many fantasy orientated books and games such as Dungeons and Dragons,Star trek, And Star Wars. Tolkien didn't live to see his books become as popular as it did during the 1960's and into the year 2001 with the smash box office movie remake of the book trilogy which will be extended into The Hobbit in the coming year.There are even conventions with costume contests ,Art, and even skits made about his books and to celebrate just being a fan such as Oxonmoot,Comic con, and even up a cup of coffee in the Gandalf Cafe in Osaka.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was many things to many people.To some he was a mentor and teacher and to others a genius and well voiced writer.Underneath all this he was just a normal man with a strong vision of what the world could and should be.Without his thoughts and writen word we may not have some of the most inspiring books ever writen for fiction as well as many movies and other entertainment that shape our world.By looking a his life,the novels he wrote as well as the result of his works it has become apparent that as Tolkien says in his own Novel,"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."