1892 – The father of Middle Earth,
J.R.R. Tolkien was born on this day in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After specializing in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic languages and classic literature at Exeter, Tolkien served as a lieutenant in World War I, then went on to become a professor of linguistics at Oxford. While at Oxford, Tolkien started a writing group known as The Inklings, which included another future fantasy writer and Hollywood inspiration, C.S. ...
more 1892 – The father of Middle Earth,
J.R.R. Tolkien was born on this day in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After specializing in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic languages and classic literature at Exeter, Tolkien served as a lieutenant in World War I, then went on to become a professor of linguistics at Oxford. While at Oxford, Tolkien started a writing group known as The Inklings, which included another future fantasy writer and Hollywood inspiration, C.S. Lewis (“The Chronicles of Narnia”). It was at this time that Tolkien wrote a single line that would change the history of fantasy writing and eventually movie magic. While grading exams one day, a student had left a blank page in his writing booklet; apparently, Tolkien couldn’t bear to see a blank page, because on it he wrote "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit." Then he had to figure out what a Hobbit was. Now, all these years later, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is the box office champion three weeks running.
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