The Inklings was the Oxford writers’ discussion group associated with J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
The Inklings met mainly in Oxford during the 1930s and 1940s. Members and regular participants read aloud from works in progress, discussed literature, and debated questions about Christianity, myth, and storytelling. Tolkien and Lewis were central figures, but the group was not an exclusive two-person club.
Other associated members included Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, Warren Lewis, and Hugo Dyson. Meetings took place in college rooms and at The Eagle and Child pub, which members nicknamed the Bird and Baby. The group had no formal constitution or fixed membership list.
The Inklings are often credited with giving Tolkien and Lewis an unusually candid audience for unfinished writing. Tolkien read portions of The Lord of the Rings to the group, while Lewis shared parts of his own fiction and criticism. Their conversations helped create a distinctive literary community in wartime Oxford.