Which literary discussion group included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien?

The Inklings was the literary discussion group that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The informal group met mainly in Oxford during the 1930s and 1940s to discuss and read works in progress.

The Inklings were not a formal society with a fixed membership list or official constitution. Lewis and Tolkien were among its best-known participants, alongside writers such as Charles Williams and Owen Barfield. Meetings often involved reading aloud, criticism, conversation, and discussion of imaginative literature.

The group is associated with The Eagle and Child pub, known to members as the Bird and Baby, although gatherings also took place in college rooms and other locations. Tolkien read portions of The Lord of the Rings to fellow members, while Lewis shared drafts and ideas connected with his own writing.

The name is sometimes mistakenly treated as a synonym for a university department or a Christian organization. It was instead an informal literary circle whose friendships influenced some of the twentieth century’s most famous fantasy writing.