British · 1892–1973
J.R.R. Tolkien created Middle-earth and modern fantasy. "The Lord of the Rings" invented a genre, influencing everything from role-playing games to blockbuster films. The British philologist drew on his scholarly expertise in Old English and Norse mythology to build a world of unprecedented detail. Tolkien wrote to explore language and myth, producing fiction that has never gone out of print since its 1954 publication.