The Inklings was the Oxford writers’ club that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The group was an informal literary discussion circle rather than a formally organized society with a fixed membership list.
The Inklings met regularly in Oxford, especially at The Eagle and Child pub, known to members as the Bird and Baby, and in Lewis’s rooms at Magdalen College. Members read aloud from works in progress and discussed literature, poetry, mythology, and theology.
Other associated members included Charles Williams and Owen Barfield. Tolkien read parts of The Lord of the Rings to the group, while Lewis shared portions of his own fiction and scholarly work. Their meetings supported criticism and encouragement among friends.
The Inklings are sometimes described as a university club, but the group was not an official Oxford college organization. Its importance came from the creative exchange among writers who already had academic, personal, or religious connections.