Which group of writers and scholars met with J.R.R. Tolkien in Oxford?

The Inklings were the group of writers and scholars who met with J.R.R. Tolkien in Oxford.

The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group active mainly during the 1930s and 1940s. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were among its best-known members. The group met at Oxford locations including Lewis’s college rooms and the Eagle and Child pub, which members sometimes called the Bird and Baby.

Members read works in progress aloud and discussed literature, theology, and imaginative writing. Tolkien read portions of The Lord of the Rings to the group during its long development. The meetings were not a formal society with a fixed membership or official publishing program.

The Inklings are sometimes confused with broader literary movements or with Tolkien’s university department. The name refers specifically to this Oxford-based circle. Its importance lies in the sustained criticism and encouragement that its members provided one another while developing major works.