I recently finished watching a lecture series by Ryan Reeves on YouTube about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and the worlds they created within their books, but what about the worlds outside of their books? Here are the 10 facts that I found most interesting about two very well-known authors.

1. Tolkien and Lewis knew each other.

The two authors were actually friends in a literary club tied to the University of Oxford. They, along with others, brought their stories in for review, critiques and a few drinks with friends.

2. Both of them lost their mothers.

It’s sad to know that both of them lost their mothers at a young age, but perhaps this was one thing that bonded them together as friends.

3. C.S. Lewis wrote poetry.

Lewis considered himself a scholar of poetry. He wrote quite a bit of poetry and it turns out he didn’t approve of Tolkien’s poetic writing. He didn’t think it was up to par with the great poetic writers of his day.

4. Lewis was commemorated in Poets Corner in 2013.

In a commemoration that people felt were long overdue. Lewis was given a stone in poet’s corner around November of 2013. However, he’s not actually buried there.

5. Tolkien created his own languages.

Even as a child Tolkien had a love for languages and he created a few. In his books, he created two types of Elvish, Dwarfish, Entish and Black Speech.

6. Tolkien set up the world for "Lord of the Rings" before the books.

Before Tolkien even penned his first word for "Lord of the Rings," he wrote a book called "The Silmarillion." It was originally rejected for publishing and was eventually published after his death and the success of the other "Lord of the Rings" books. In it, there is a history of the entire world he created, along with a creation story, and a tale inspired by the sinking of Atlantis.

7. Lewis went by “Jack” around his close family and friends.

As a young child, Lewis declared his name was Jack and was called that by family and friends forever afterward.

8. They both had crazy imaginations as children.

Even at a young age, Lewis and Tolkien had expansive imaginations. Lewis and his brother created the world of Boxen, and Tolkien created worlds and languages as a child often.

9. They both served in WWI.

Tolkien enlisted in 1915 and Lewis enlisted in 1917.

10. Both Lewis and Tolkien had other jobs.

Lewis and Tolkien both had other accomplishments that they considered greater than their fiction writing. Tolkien went as far as to consider it merely a hobby. Lewis took more stock in his non-fiction and poetry while Tolkien found his scholarly works his main interest.

These two authors both contributed so much to writing with their fictional works, non-fiction works and just by having the courage to pen their thoughts into the world.