What literary society did J.R.R. Tolkien belong to with C.S. Lewis at Oxford?

J.R.R. Tolkien belonged to The Inklings, an informal literary society that included C.S. Lewis at Oxford.

The Inklings met mainly in Oxford during the 1930s and 1940s. Members read aloud from works in progress, discussed literature, and debated theology, myth, and storytelling. Tolkien and Lewis became close friends, and their conversations helped sustain each other’s writing during important stages of their careers.

The group was not a formal club with a fixed membership list or constitution. Other associated writers included Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, Hugo Dyson, and Warren Lewis. Meetings took place in Oxford rooms and at the Eagle and Child pub, popularly known as the Bird and Baby.

Tolkien read portions of The Lord of the Rings to fellow Inklings while the work was being written. Lewis’s encouragement was significant, although their friendship later became less close. The name is sometimes mistakenly treated as an abbreviation or official organization title; it was simply the name used for this influential circle of writers and scholars.