J. R. R. Tolkien
The request for a sequel prompted Tolkien to begin what would become his most famous work: the epic novel "The Lord of the Rings" (originally published in three volumes 1954–1955). Tolkien spent more than ten years writing the primary narrative and appendices for "The Lord of the Rings", during which time he received the constant support of the Inklings, in particular his closest friend C. S. Lewis, the author of "The Chronicles of Narnia". Both "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" are set against the background of "The Silmarillion", but in a time long after it.
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien currently lives a reclusive life far from media intrusion in the French countryside with his second wife, Baillie Tolkien (née Klass), who edited J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Father Christmas Letters" for posthumous publication. They have two children, Adam Reuel Tolkien and Rachel Clare Reuel Tolkien. In the wake of a dispute surrounding the making of "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy he reportedly disowned his son by his first marriage, barrister and novelist Simon Mario Reuel Tolkien, though they have since reconciled.