Who is this writer?

Quotes from the introduction to a famous book, with slight edits in order to remove the author's identity:

"These books baffled contemporary critics who were used to the conventions of realist fiction."

"They were particularly critical of the language used in the books."

One critic wrote "that the quasi-archaic vocabulary was 'only preserved from general derision by the author's evident and pathetic conviction that he is doing the right thing.'"

This author said that his works "should not be read as allegories."

And this author is "now rightly acknowledged as 'the man who invented fantasy.'"


Have any idea who this author might be?