Which university position did J.R.R. Tolkien hold from 1945 to 1959?

From 1945 to 1959, J.R.R. Tolkien was the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford.

The appointment followed his earlier Oxford post as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, which he held from 1925 to 1945. At Merton, Tolkien continued teaching and researching English language and literature while writing and revising his fiction.

His academic work was closely connected to his creative work. Tolkien’s expertise in Old English, Middle English, philology, and medieval literature informed his invented languages, names, narrative styles, and use of legendary traditions.

The two Oxford professorships are frequently mixed up. Tolkien held the Rawlinson and Bosworth chair first, then moved to the Merton Professorship in 1945. He retired from the Merton position in 1959, although his books continued to gain readers worldwide.