J.R.R. Tolkien, in full John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, (born January 3, 1892, Bloemfontein, South Africa—died September 2, 1973, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England), English writer and scholar who achieved fame with his children's book The Hobbit (1937) and his richly inventive epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings (1954–55).