Which author became J.R.R. Tolkien’s close friend in the Inklings?

C.S. Lewis became J.R.R. Tolkien’s close friend in the Inklings, an informal Oxford literary group.

The Inklings met mainly at Oxford’s Eagle and Child pub and in Lewis’s rooms at Magdalen College. Members read drafts aloud, discussed literature, and exchanged criticism. Tolkien and Lewis were especially influential in each other’s intellectual and creative lives.

Tolkien helped Lewis return to Christianity, while Lewis encouraged Tolkien’s writing and recognized the power of his fictional mythology. Their friendship was not free of disagreements, particularly over Tolkien’s slow working habits and aspects of each other’s religious and literary views.

Other important Inklings included Charles Williams and Owen Barfield. The group was never a formal society with a fixed membership list, but its meetings provided a distinctive setting for discussing fantasy, myth, theology, and medieval literature.