John Ronald Reuel Tolkien ( January 3 , 1892 â `` September 2 , 1973 ) was a philologist , university professor , and writer . Tolkien is best known for his most famous works , The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . John Ronald Reuel Tolkien , CBE ( 3 January 1892 - 2 September 1973 ) was an English writer , poet , philologist , and university professor , best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit , The Lord of the Rings , and The Silmarillion .