J.R.R. Tolkien belonged to The Inklings, an informal literary society at Oxford that also included C.S. Lewis.
The group met mainly in Oxford during the 1930s and 1940s, often at the Eagle and Child pub, known to members as the Bird and Baby, and sometimes in rooms at Oxford colleges. Writers read aloud from works in progress and discussed literature, theology, and ideas.
The Inklings was not a formal club with a fixed membership list or constitution. Its best-known members included Tolkien, Lewis, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield. Tolkien’s readings of parts of The Lord of the Rings helped expose the developing work to a small circle of fellow writers. The group’s influence is often discussed alongside the friendship between Tolkien and Lewis, though the two men had distinct literary styles and careers.