John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 - September 2, 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings precipitated an avalanche of new books and authors in the genre. This led to his popular identification as the "father" of modern fantasy literature, and one of the most influential authors of all time. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on March 28, 1972.