J R R Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, spent much of his adult life in Oxford and is buried in Wolvercote Cemetery.  Being a cult figure in one's own lifetime, I am afraid, is not at all pleasant  | | J R R Tolkien |
Tolkien was fascinated by ancient languages and taught himself Gothic, Welsh and Finnish. He became a Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford in 1926. Tolkien lived all over Oxford, from the centre of town to Headington. The dreaming spires of Oxford inspired some of his mythical buildings in The Lord of the Rings. | If you think you're a Lord of the Rings expert, try our Tolkien in Oxford quiz. Can you get all ten questions right first time? | 
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The book took 12 years to complete and was published in three parts because it was so large. The Fellowship of The Rings and The Two Towers were published in 1954, and The Return of The King was published in the following year. Local enthusiasm for Tolkien and his writings means that there is a large annual gathering of fans at an Oxford college in September. The event takes place on the weekend closest to the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. The Tolkien Society even invites fans to join in a toast to Tolkien on his birthday on January 3 each year. | 
