More than 30 years after his death, J.R.R. Tolkien’s works and life still inspire passionate discussion.

“J.R.R. Tolkien: A Storyteller’s Story,” a five-part lecture series sponsored jointly by the UW Alumni Association and the College of Arts and Sciences and spanning more than a month, offers students, staff and friends of the community the opportunity to learn about the writer’s accomplishments throughout his career and life.

“I’m really excited about these lectures and I hope everybody enjoys them,” said professor Robin Stacey, who will be teaching the class.

Stacey, a history professor at the UW, has been interested in Tolkien’s work since high school, when she read his books for pleasure, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that she started studying his work on an academic level.

“A Storyteller’s Story” begins Jan. 15. The first lecture will discuss Tolkien’s love of language and its relation to his creativity. Future lectures will look into the author’s experiences in war, his friendship with religious writer C.S. Lewis, and his use of myth and religion in his own works.

The lectures will take place on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. in Kane 130. Tickets are $5 for individual student tickets and $20 for the entire series.

[Reach reporter Celia Hunko at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]