The Secret to Tolkien's Success

An intro to the Inklings...

How did four men change Western culture forever?

By meeting weekly at the pub.

The Inklings was an informal group of Oxford academics who met regularly to share and critique each other's unfinished writings. Over the course of twenty years, these meetings helped produce works like The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many more.

While the majority of the Inklings are unknown by most, they had an inordinate influence on the literary world, and even culture itself. Today, we look at the most popular members of the group — and where to start with their writing.

If we can take one lesson from the Inklings, it’s this: genius is forged in fellowship…