J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien and I both have Saturn on the Ascendant. This is supposed to make a person be very strict either with themselves or with others or both at once. He was a strict Roman Catholic. Saturn tests us and makes us wait. Saturn rules old people and when you get older Saturn is supposed to be easier on you. Delays and frustrations of all kinds happen with Saturn transits and an earthy understanding of the house it has just transited. Yet Saturn is often strong in charts of the musicians and the old classical composers, the thought being that Saturn represents structure and organization and that is needed for creative endeavors. It appears that Tolkien's Saturn didn't hurt him in writing great fantasy novels.
For Tolkien fans every detail of his life is of interest.
The first part of the Lord of the Rings that was written was when Gandalf visited Bilbo and told him his suspicions about the ring that he had might be the One Ring.
Authors are often told to keep their work secret until completed, Tolkien often met friends at an English pub and read to them parts of his work in progress.
Tolkien said he first started writing with no idea any of it was about religion, and said it didn't need religion added to it, it was already in the symbolism.
Tolkien could read at the age of four.
The first language he learned, besides English, was Latin.
Extremely talented at languages, he made up imaginary languages just for fun.
He was assistant lexicographer of the Webster English Dictionary.
He suffered poverty when he was a child.
Fans can quote entire passages of these novels, so can I.
We owe publication of The Lord of the Rings to a man named Rayner Unwin. His father was in publishing and at the age of 10 he read The Hobbit. As an adult he became a publisher and was presented with The Lord of The Rings. No one else wanted to publish it, but he did. It was thought that the publishing company would take the loss that the book would surely be. Pirated paperbooks were made in 1965 and by 1968 the books were a huge success. Tolkien was suprised that the books were successful also.
Tolkien used to call rude people, "orcs".
The name "Middle-Earth" came from an ancient poem he translated.
Tolkien insists that the One Ring does not represent nuclear power.
As a child he was bitten by a spider.
My fav, when Frodo turns to Sam and says,
"I wanted to save the Shire and I did save it, but not for me. It is often that way Sam, that some people must give something up so that other people can have it."
I like to think that Middle-Earth exists somewhere, that Tolkien came from there.