E R Eddison (1882-1945)
Eric Rucker Eddison was born in Leeds in 1882 and was schooled by private tutors along with a young Arthur Ransome. He was later educated at Eton and Oxford, becoming a high-ranking British civil servant. His earlier 20th-century novels - most famously The Worm Ouroboros - influenced many of the great fantasy writers who followed him, such as JRR Tolkien, Ursula K. LeGuin and Michael Moorcock. After retiring from the civil service, he lived in Marlborough, Wiltshire until his death in 1945.