J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis attended the Oxford literary group known as the Inklings.
The Inklings were an informal discussion and reading group associated with Oxford University. Members met in locations including Lewis’s rooms at Magdalen College and the Eagle and Child pub, commonly known by its nickname, the Bird and Baby. They read works in progress aloud and discussed literature, religion, and writing.
The group was active mainly during the 1930s and 1940s. Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and Warren Lewis were among the other important participants, although membership and attendance varied over time.
The Inklings were not a formal society with a fixed membership list or published manifesto. The name is often mistaken for a professional writers’ organization, but it describes a social and intellectual circle. Tolkien’s readings of The Lord of the Rings to the group helped him receive early reactions to parts of the developing work.