J.R.R. Tolkien was an English writer and language professor who created the fantasy world of Middle-earth in his books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He invented entire languages, maps, and histories to make his imaginary world feel real, sharing early drafts with his close friend C.S. Lewis as part of an Oxford writers' group called the Inklings. His books helped shape the entire fantasy genre that so many stories still follow today.