Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien

Photo Source: biography.com

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

--J.R.R. Tolkien, 1892-1973

January 3 is the birthday of J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien, South African-born and Birmingham, UK-raised author best known for his fantasy novels, The Hobbit: or There and Back Again (1937) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954), and The Return of the King (1955).

Information about the author's life and work is available at The Tolkien Society website. Fans of the author will appreciate the website's biographical sketch, information on Tolkien Park, and  other interesting FAQ links.  The Birmingham City Council has a Tolkien section on its website, and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has information about Sarehole Mill, Tolkien's childhood village, which influenced his stories.

Tolkien remains a popular literary figure, with modern-day adaptations of his works into movies.  Film information is available from IMDb, the Internet Movie Database.    

The Harvard Gazette published an interesting interview last month with Stephen Mitchell, professor of Scandinavian folklore, about the ongoing fascination with Tolkien and the author's use of folklore in his works.

If you are so inclined, the Tolkien Society has an entry form where you can submit a birthday toast to Tolkien and read the messages from other Tolkien fans.


Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com. This post cannot be republished without express written consent.