J.R.R. Tolkien received the title CBE when he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1972.
The abbreviation CBE means Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Tolkien received the appointment in the 1972 New Year Honours, recognizing his contributions to literature. He was formally invested by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace later that year.
The order has several ranks, which can cause confusion. MBE means Member, OBE means Officer, and CBE means Commander. Higher grades include Knight Commander and Knight Grand Cross. Tolkien was not knighted, so KBE is not the correct designation. His CBE appointment came near the end of his life, after the publication of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings had made him internationally famous.