J.R.R. Tolkien

1892 – 1973 · died at about 81^[1][2]

Literature

Fun Facts About J.R.R. Tolkien

• J.R.R. Tolkien's first civilian job after World War I was at the Oxford English Dictionary, working on words beginning with W. He struggled mightily over "walrus".^[1]
• As a child Tolkien was bitten by a large baboon spider, an event some see echoed in his stories, though he had no memory of it as an adult.^[1]
• Tolkien's guardian banned him from contacting Edith Bratt until he was 21. On his 21st birthday he wrote to propose, and she broke off an engagement to another man to accept.^[1]
• Tolkien had "Luthien" engraved on his wife Edith's tombstone, and when he was buried in the same grave, "Beren" was added to his name.^[1]
• Tolkien helped convert his friend C. S. Lewis from atheism to Christianity, and in 1961 Lewis nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature.^[1]
• Tolkien opened his lectures on Beowulf by entering silently, then suddenly declaiming the poem's opening lines in Old English, starting with a great cry of "Hwæt".^[1]
• J.R.R. Tolkien and Jimi Hendrix were alive at the same time for almost 28 years.^[1][2][3][4]
• J.R.R. Tolkien was alive at the same time as Elon Musk — their lives overlapped for 2 years (1971–1973).^[1][2][5][6]

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55).^[1]

Contemporaries

Pablo Picasso

81 yr overlap

Georgia O'Keeffe

81 yr overlap

Charlie Chaplin

81 yr overlap

Agatha Christie

81 yr overlap

Haile Selassie

81 yr overlap

Chiang Kai-shek

81 yr overlap

Mao Zedong

80 yr overlap

Harry S. Truman

80 yr overlap

Igor Stravinsky

79 yr overlap

Coco Chanel

79 yr overlap

Charles de Gaulle

78 yr overlap

Bertrand Russell

78 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About J.R.R. Tolkien

When was J.R.R. Tolkien born?

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, and died on September 2, 1973.

How old was J.R.R. Tolkien at death?

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, and died on September 2, 1973, at age 81.

What was J.R.R. Tolkien known for?

J.R.R. Tolkien was known for: The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55).

Who was alive at the same time as J.R.R. Tolkien?

J.R.R. Tolkien's closest contemporary was Pablo Picasso. Their lives overlapped for 81 years.