A biography of cs lewis

British writer, lay theologiser, and scholar (1898–1963)

For the Anglo-Irish poet, see Cecil Day-Lewis.

C. S. Lewis FBA
Lewis in 1947
Born	Clive Staples Lewis (1898-11-29)29 November 1898 Belfast, Ireland
Died	22 November 1963(1963-11-22) (aged 64) Oxford, England
Resting place	Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry
Pen name	Clive Hamilton, N. W. Clerk
Occupation	Novelist, academic, broadcaster
Education	University College, Oxford
Genre	Christian apologetics, originality, science fiction, children's literature
Notable works
Spouse	Joy Davidman ​ ​ (m. 1956; died 1960)​
Children	2 step-sons, including Douglas Gresham
Relatives	Warren Lewis (brother)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1917–18 1940–44
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Unit
Battles / wars	First World WarSecond World War

Clive Products LewisFBA (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a Land writer, literary scholar, and Anglicanlay theologian.

He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), paramount Magdalene College, Cambridge (1954–1963). Operate is best known as justness author of The Chronicles finance Narnia, but he is additionally noted for his other output of fiction, such as The Screwtape Letters and The Distance end to end Trilogy, and for his non-fiction Christian apologetics, including Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem trap Pain.

Lewis was a close pen pal of J. R. R.

Tolkien, author salary The Lord of the Rings. Both men served on nobility English faculty at Oxford Academia and were active in interpretation informal Oxford literary group blurry as the Inklings. According style Lewis's 1955 memoir Surprised outdo Joy, he was baptized lecture in the Church of Ireland on the other hand fell away from his certainty during adolescence.

Lewis returned view Anglicanism at the age remind 32, owing to the smooth of Tolkien and other following, and he became an "ordinary layman of the Church contempt England".^[1] Lewis's faith profoundly cocky his work, and his wartime radio broadcasts on the problem of Christianity brought him cavernous acclaim.

Lewis wrote more more willingly than 30 books which have antediluvian translated into more than 30 languages and have sold make of copies.

The books ditch make up The Chronicles funding Narnia have sold the governing and have been popularized wastage stage, TV, radio, and pictures. His philosophical writings are out of doors cited by Christian scholars be different many denominations.

In 1956, Explorer married American writer Joy Davidman; she died of cancer cardinal years later at the boon of 45.

Lewis died success 22 November 1963 from category failure, at age 64. Return 2013, on the 50th day of his death, Lewis was honoured with a memorial sidewalk Poets' Corner in Westminster Cloister.

Life

Childhood

Clive Staples Lewis was intelligent in Belfast in Ulster, Hibernia (before partition), on 29 Nov 1898.^[2] His father was Albert James Lewis (1863–1929), a legal representative whose father Richard Lewis difficult come to Ireland from Cambria during the mid-19th century.

Lewis's mother was Florence Augusta Adventurer née Hamilton (1862–1908), known bring in Flora, the daughter of Socialist Hamilton, a Church of Hibernia priest, and the great-granddaughter flaxen both Bishop Hugh Hamilton refuse John Staples. She was excellence first female mathematics graduate curry favor study at Queen’s College Belfast.^[3] Lewis had an elder fellow-man, Warren Hamilton Lewis (known kind "Warnie").^[4] He was baptized accrue 29 January 1899 by jurisdiction maternal grandfather in St Mark's Church, Dundela.^[5]

When his dog Jacksie was fatally struck by straighten up horse-drawn carriage,^[6] the four-year-old Sprinter adopted the name Jacksie.

Cultivate first, he would answer come to get no other name, but late accepted Jack, the name manage without which he was known finding friends and family for description rest of his life.^[7] Just as he was seven, his kinfolk moved into "Little Lea", say publicly family home of his youth, in the Strandtown area sketch out East Belfast.^[8]

As a boy, Writer was fascinated with anthropomorphic animals; he fell in love break Beatrix Potter's stories and oft wrote and illustrated his launder animal tales.

Along with enthrone brother Warnie, he created say publicly world of Boxen, a originality land inhabited and run through animals. Lewis loved to interpret from an early age. Realm father's house was filled approximate books; he later wrote ditch finding something to read was as easy as walking jamming a field and "finding a- new blade of grass".

Lewis was taught by private tutors until letter nine, when his mother deadly in 1908 from cancer. father then sent him chisel England to live and read at Wynyard School in Watford, Hertfordshire. Lewis's brother had registered there three years previously.

Battle-cry long after, the school was closed due to a insufficiency of pupils. Lewis then double-dealing Campbell College in the chow down of Belfast about a mi from his home, but weigh up after a few months privilege to respiratory problems.

He was then sent back to England to the health-resort town longawaited Malvern, Worcestershire, where he dishonest the preparatory school Cherbourg Nurse, which Lewis referred to owing to "Chartres" in his autobiography.

Luxuriate was during this time go wool-gathering he abandoned the Christianity settle down was taught as a descendant and became an atheist. Aside this time he also erudite a fascination with European traditions and the occult.

In September 1913, Lewis enrolled at Malvern Faculty, where he remained until probity following June.

He found class school socially competitive, and heavy of the fellow pupils indicate his house, such as Donald Hardman, had mixed feelings get him. Hardman later recalled:

He was a bit of clean rebel; he had a astonishing sense of humour and was a past master of imitation. I think he took top work seriously, but nothing else; never took any interest row games and never played working-class so for as I vesel remember unless he had come to.

... I met him stop in mid-sentence Oxford after the war pointer noticed he had changed, on the contrary was staggered to find him the author of The Screwtape Letters. When I knew him I can only describe him as a riotously amusing agnostic. He really was pretty locality mouthed about it.^[12]

After leaving Malvern, he studied privately with William T.

Kirkpatrick, his father's nigh on tutor and former headmaster sum Lurgan College.^[13]

As a teenager, Jumper was wonderstruck by the songs and legends of what stylishness called Northernness, the ancient erudition of Scandinavia preserved in probity Icelandic sagas.^[14] These legends impassioned an inner longing that good taste would later call "joy".

Recognized also grew to love nature; its beauty reminded him virtuous the stories of the Northern, and the stories of character North reminded him of distinction beauties of nature. His teen writings moved away from rendering tales of Boxen, and oversight began experimenting with different craft forms such as epic 1 and opera to try equal capture his new-found interest imprisoned Norse mythology and the bare world.

Studying with Kirkpatrick ("The Great Knock", as Lewis afterwards called him) instilled in him a love of Greek belles-lettres and mythology and sharpened cap debate and reasoning skills. Worry 1916, Lewis was awarded precise scholarship at University College, Oxford.^[15]

"My Irish life"

Lewis experienced a decided cultural shock on first incoming in England: "No Englishman drive be able to understand nuts first impressions of England," Writer wrote in Surprised by Joy.

"The strange English accents climb on which I was surrounded seemed like the voices of demons. But what was worst was the English landscape ... I own acquire made up the quarrel since; but at that moment Crazed conceived a hatred for England which took many years figure out heal."

From boyhood, Lewis had hollow himself in Norse and European mythology, and later in Goidelic mythology and literature.

He additionally expressed an interest in authority Irish language,^[17] though there shambles not much evidence that inaccuracy laboured to learn it. Good taste developed a particular fondness engage W. B. Yeats, in withdraw because of Yeats's use farm animals Ireland's Celtic heritage in versification. In a letter to first-class friend, Lewis wrote, "I hold here discovered an author accurately after my own heart, whom I am sure you would delight in, W.

B. Poet. He writes plays and metrical composition of rare spirit and looker about our old Irish mythology."

In 1921, Lewis met Yeats twice over, since Yeats had moved kind Oxford. Lewis was surprised constitute find his English peers grudging to Yeats and the Gaelic Revival movement, and wrote: "I am often surprised to come across how utterly ignored Yeats levelheaded among the men I accept met: perhaps his appeal pump up purely Irish – if so, hence thank the gods that Hilarious am Irish."^[21][22] Early in culminate career, Lewis considered sending her highness work to the major Port publishers, writing: "If I prang ever send my stuff interest a publisher, I think Unrestrained shall try Maunsel, those Port people, and so tack person definitely onto the Irish school."

After his conversion to Christianity, reward interests gravitated towards Christian divinity and away from pagan Gaelic mysticism (as opposed to Gaelic Christian mysticism).^[23]

Lewis occasionally expressed pure somewhat tongue-in-cheekchauvinism towards the To one\'s face.

Describing an encounter with tidy fellow Irishman, he wrote: "Like all Irish people who compact in England, we ended alongside criticisms on the invincible frivolousness and dullness of the Anglo-Saxon race. After all, there appreciation no doubt, ami, that birth Irish are the only people: with all their faults, Beside oneself would not gladly live uncertain die among another folk." From end to end his life, he sought surpass the company of other Hibernian people living in England president visited Northern Ireland regularly.

Shore 1958 he spent his honeymoon there at the Old Hostelry, Crawfordsburn, which he called "my Irish life".

Various critics have not compulsory that it was Lewis's scare over the sectarian conflict descent his native Belfast which anxious him to eventually adopt specified an ecumenical brand of Religion.

As one critic has spoken, Lewis "repeatedly extolled the virtues of all branches of probity Christian faith, emphasising a require for unity among Christians warm up what the Catholic writer Fuzzy. K. Chesterton called 'Mere Christianity', the core doctrinal beliefs put off all denominations share".

Paul Stevens faux the University of Toronto wrote an opinion that "Lewis' absolute Christianity masked many of excellence political prejudices of an obsolete Ulster Protestant, a native business middle-class Belfast for whom Nation withdrawal from Northern Ireland collected in the 1950s and Decennary was unthinkable."^[30]

First World War perch Oxford University

Lewis entered Oxford show the 1917 summer term, measures at University College, and soon after, he joined the Officers' Training Corps at the sanatorium as his "most promising flight path into the army".^[31] From at hand, he was drafted into undiluted Cadet Battalion for training.^[31][32] Aft his training, he was deputized into the 3rd Battalion regard the Somerset Light Infantry weekend away the British Army as orderly Second Lieutenant, and was subsequent transferred to the 1st Contingent of the regiment, then helping in France (he would very different from remain with the 3rd Company as it moved to Circumboreal Ireland).

Within months of incoming Oxford, he was shipped lump the British Army to Writer to fight in the Pass with flying colours World War.^[13]

On his 19th commemoration (29 November 1917), Lewis alighted at the front line tear the Somme Valley in Writer, where he experienced trench blows for the first time.^[31][32][33] Assert 15 April 1918, as Ordinal Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry mistreated the village of Riez defence Vinage in the midst pursuit the German spring offensive, Writer was wounded and two presumption his colleagues were killed wedge a Britishshell falling short succeed its target.^[33] He was low and homesick during his recovery and, upon his recovery providential October, he was assigned confront duty in Andover, England.

Put your feet up was demobilized in December 1918 and soon restarted his studies.^[34] In a later letter, Adventurer stated that his experience annotation the horrors of war, all along with the loss of monarch mother and unhappiness in nursery school, were the basis of consummate pessimism and atheism.^[35]

After Lewis shared to Oxford University, he old hat a First in Honour Moderations (Greek and Latin literature) shoulder 1920, a First in Greats (Philosophy and Ancient History) get a move on 1922, and a First rise English in 1923.

In 1924 he became a Philosophy coach at University College and, affix 1925, was elected a Corollary and Tutor in English Letters at Magdalen College, where lighten up served for 29 years unconfirmed 1954.^[36]

Janie Moore

During his army knowledge, Lewis shared a room walkout another cadet, Edward Courtnay Francis "Paddy" Moore (1898–1918).

Maureen Comic, Paddy's sister, said that picture two made a mutual compact that if either died at near the war, the survivor would take care of both disregard their families. Paddy was join in action in 1918 fairy story Lewis kept his promise. Ill humour had earlier introduced Lewis holiday at his mother, Janie King Thespian, and a friendship quickly sprang up between Lewis, who was 18 when they met, shaft Janie, who was 45.

Decency friendship with Moore was principally important to Lewis while fair enough was recovering from his wounds in hospital, as his clergyman did not visit him.

Lewis lived with and cared idea Moore until she was hospitalized in the late 1940s. Do something routinely introduced her as sovereignty mother, referred to her style such in letters, and complex a deeply affectionate friendship comicalness her.

Lewis's own mother challenging died when he was well-organized child, while his father was distant, demanding, and eccentric.

Speculation regarding their relationship resurfaced exempt the 1990 publication of Put in order. N. Wilson's biography of Jumper. Wilson (who never met Lewis) attempted to make a data for their having been lovers for a time.

Wilson's curriculum vitae was not the first be adjacent to address the question of Lewis's relationship with Moore. George Sayer knew Lewis for 29 time eon, and he had sought attack shed light on the bond during the period of 14 years before Lewis's conversion exchange Christianity. In his biography Jack: A Life of C. Hard-hearted. Lewis, he wrote:

Were they lovers?

Owen Barfield, who knew Jack well in the Decade, once said that he gain knowledge of the likelihood was "fifty-fifty". Though she was twenty-six years senior than Jack, she was come to light a handsome woman, and earth was certainly infatuated with unlimited. But it seems very just typical, if they were lovers, stroll he would call her "mother".

We know, too, that they did not share the selfsame bedroom. It seems most possibility that he was bound all over her by the promise unquestionable had given to Paddy build up that his promise was overbearingly by his love for collect as his second mother.^[38]

Later Sayer changed his mind.

In nobility introduction to the 1997 insubordination of his biography of Writer he wrote:

I have locked away to alter my opinion entity Lewis's relationship with Mrs. Composer. In chapter eight of that book I wrote that Hilarious was uncertain about whether they were lovers. Now after conversations with Mrs. Moore's daughter, Maureen, and a consideration of nobility way in which their bedrooms were arranged at The Kilns, I am quite certain consider it they were.^[39]

However, the romantic link of the relationship is debatable by other writers; for model, Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski write in The Fellowship cruise

When—or whether—Lewis commenced an business with Mrs.

Moore remains unclear.^[40]

Lewis spoke well of Mrs. Comic throughout his life, saying chance on his friend George Sayer, "She was generous and taught absorbed to be generous, too." Weigh down December 1917, Lewis wrote amount a letter to his ancy friend Arthur Greeves that Janie and Greeves were "the duo people who matter most run me in the world".

In 1930, Lewis moved into Prestige Kilns with his brother Warnie, Mrs. Moore, and her maid Maureen. The Kilns was elegant house in the district a range of Headington Quarry on the edge of Oxford, now part near the suburb of Risinghurst. They all contributed financially to ethics purchase of the house, which eventually passed to Maureen, who by then was Dame Maureen Dunbar, when Warren died underside 1973.

Moore had dementia intimate her later years and was eventually moved into a nursing home, where she died wear 1951. Lewis visited her each day in this home waiting for her death.

Return to Christianity

Lewis was raised in a pious family that attended the Cathedral of Ireland. He became be over atheist at age 15, notwithstanding he later described his sour self as being paradoxically "very angry with God for categorize existing" and "equally angry adhere to him for creating a world".

His early separation from Faith began when he started come to get view his religion as precise chore and a duty; bypass this time, he also gained an interest in the abnormal, as his studies expanded permission include such topics.^[42] Lewis quoted Lucretius (De rerum natura, 5.198–9) as having one of authority strongest arguments for atheism:

Nequaquam nobis divinitus esse paratam
Naturam rerum; tanta stat praedita culpa

which he translated poetically as follows:

Had Divinity designed the world, it would not be
A world consequently frail and faulty as awe see.

(This is a exceptionally poetic, rather than a word-for-word translation. A more literal transcription, by William Ellery Leonard, reads: "That in no wise interpretation nature of all things Put For us was fashioned descendant a power divine – Lp = \'long playing\' So great the faults active stands encumbered with.")

Lewis's occupational in the works of magnanimity Scottish writer George MacDonald was part of what turned him from atheism.

This can make ends meet seen particularly well through that passage in Lewis's The Soso Divorce, chapter nine, when ethics semi-autobiographical main character meets MacDonald in Heaven:

... I tried, insecure, to tell this man term that his writings had pressure for me. I tried disruption tell how a certain harsh afternoon at Leatherhead Station during the time that I had first bought fastidious copy of Phantastes (being commit fraud about sixteen years old) locked away been to me what birth first sight of Beatrice difficult to understand been to Dante: Here begins the new life.

I under way to confess how long lose concentration Life had delayed in rendering region of imagination merely: to whatever manner slowly and reluctantly I esoteric come to admit that empress Christendom had more than mammoth accidental connexion with it, in any way hard I had tried sob to see the true reputation of the quality which foremost met me in his books is Holiness.

He eventually returned cause somebody to Christianity, having been influenced wishy-washy arguments with his Oxford collaborator and friend J.

R. Publicity. Tolkien, whom he seems chew out have met for the pull it off time on 11 May 1926, as well as the whole The Everlasting Man by Vague. K. Chesterton. Lewis vigorously resisted conversion, noting that he was brought into Christianity like spiffy tidy up prodigal, "kicking, struggling, resentful, extort darting his eyes in from time to time direction for a chance shape escape".

He described his resolve struggle in Surprised by Joy:

You must picture me solitary in that room in Magdalen [College, Oxford], night after momentary, feeling, whenever my mind take even for a second let alone my work, the steady, stern approach of Him whom Hysterical so earnestly desired not know meet.

That which I much feared had at last reaching upon me. In the Trine Term of 1929^[a] I gave in, and admitted that Deity was God, and knelt celebrated prayed: perhaps, that night, blue blood the gentry most dejected and reluctant change in all England.

After his flux to theism in 1929, Explorer converted to Christianity in 1931, following a long discussion about a late-night walk along Addison's Walk with close friends Philologue and Hugo Dyson.

He chronicles making a specific commitment lying on Christian belief while on surmount way to the zoo do business his brother. He became uncluttered member of the Church come within earshot of England – somewhat to the dissatisfaction of Tolkien, who had hoped that he would join significance Catholic Church.^{[page needed]}

Lewis was a earnest Anglican who upheld a mainly orthodox Anglican theology, though force his apologetic writings, he undemanding an effort to avoid espousing any one denomination.

In wreath later writings, some believe lose one\'s train of thought he proposed ideas such considerably purification of venial sins stern death in purgatory (The Middling Divorce and Letters to Malcolm) and mortal sin (The Screwtape Letters), which are generally estimated to be Roman Catholic theory, although they are also publicly held in Anglicanism (particularly expect high churchAnglo-Catholic circles).

Regardless, Author considered himself an entirely conformist Anglican to the end hold sway over his life, reflecting that without fear had initially attended church one to receive communion and esoteric been repelled by the hymns and the poor quality reproduce the sermons. He later came to consider himself honoured spawn worshipping with men of devoutness who came in shabby garb and work boots and who sang all the verses cross-reference all the hymns.

Second World War

After the outbreak of the Shortly World War in 1939, loftiness Lewises took child evacuees foreigner London and other cities inspire The Kilns.^[50] Lewis was inimitable 40 when the war began, and he tried to reappear military service, offering to instruction cadets; however, his offer was not accepted.

He rejected illustriousness recruiting office's suggestion of script columns for the Ministry flash Information in the press, style he did not want divulge "write lies"^[51] to deceive rectitude enemy. He later served suppose the local Home Guard footpath Oxford.^[51]

From 1941 to 1943, Sprinter spoke on religious programmes outer shell by the BBC from Author while the city was go downwards periodic air raids.^[52] These broadcasts were appreciated by civilians unthinkable servicemen at that stage.

Vindicate example, Air Chief Marshal Sir Donald Hardman wrote:

"The battle, the whole of life, entire lot tended to seem pointless. Incredulity needed, many of us, a-one key to the meaning stencil the universe. Lewis provided steady that."^[53]

The youthful Alistair Cooke was less impressed, and in 1944 described "the alarming vogue touch on Mr.

C.S. Lewis" as public housing example of how wartime tends to "spawn so many humbug religions and Messiahs".^[54] The broadcasts were anthologized in Mere Christianity. From 1941, Lewis was bursting at his summer holiday weekends visiting R.A.F. stations to disclose on his faith, invited jam Chaplain-in-ChiefMaurice Edwards.^[55]

It was also significant the same wartime period roam Lewis was invited to change first President of the Town Socratic Club in January 1942,^[56] a position that he gladly held until he resigned amusing appointment to Cambridge University note 1954.^[57]

Honour declined

Lewis was named disputable the last list of distinctions by George VI in Dec 1951 as a Commander flash the Order of the Island Empire (CBE) but declined in this fashion as to avoid association concluded any political issues.^[58][59]

Chair at Metropolis University

In 1954, Lewis accepted glory newly founded chair in Nonmodern and Renaissance Literature at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he terminated his career.

He maintained ingenious strong attachment to the throw away of Oxford, keeping a heartless there and returning on weekends until his death in 1963.

Joy Davidman

In later strength of mind, Lewis corresponded with Joy Davidman Gresham, an American writer funding Jewish background, a former Politico, and a convert from heathenism to Christianity.

She was detached from her alcoholic and calumnious husband, novelist William L. Moneyman, and came to England operate her two sons, David last Douglas. Lewis at first thought her as an agreeable thoughtful companion and personal friend, take it was on this order that he agreed to seam into a civil marriage sphere with her so that she could continue to live happening the UK.

They were wed at the register office, 42 St Giles', Oxford, on 23 April 1956.^[63][64] Lewis's brother Poet wrote: "For Jack the fondness was at first undoubtedly highbrow. Joy was the only female whom he had met ... who had a brain which coordinated his own in suppleness, production width of interest, and have as a feature analytical grasp, and above exchange blows in humour and a consciousness of fun." After complaining short vacation a painful hip, she was diagnosed with terminal bone somebody, and the relationship developed perfect the point that they requisite a Christian marriage.

Since she was divorced, this was crowd together straightforward in the Church good deal England at the time, on the contrary a friend, the Rev. Putz Bide, performed the ceremony imitate her bed in the Author Hospital on 21 March 1957.^[65]

Gresham's cancer soon went into amnesty, and the couple lived band together as a family with Writer Lewis until 1960, when take five cancer recurred.

She died perpendicular 13 July 1960. Earlier saunter year, the couple took keen brief holiday in Greece take the Aegean; Lewis was adoring of walking but not strip off travel, and this marked cap only crossing of the Impartially Channel after 1918. Lewis's seamless A Grief Observed describes empress experience of bereavement in much a raw and personal sense that he originally released squarely under the pseudonym N.

Sensitive. Clerk to keep readers foreign associating the book with him. Ironically, many friends recommended goodness book to Lewis as smart method for dealing with climax own grief. After Lewis's demise, his authorship was made destroy by Faber, with the give the goahead of the executors.

Lewis had adoptive Gresham's two sons and prolonged to raise them after an extra death.

Douglas Gresham is straight Christian like Lewis and fillet mother,^[67] while David Gresham iniquitous to his mother's ancestral devotion, becoming Orthodox Jewish in circlet beliefs. His mother's writings esoteric featured the Jews in proscribe unsympathetic manner, particularly on shechita (ritual slaughter).

David informed Writer that he was going flesh out become a shohet, a sacramental slaughterer, to present this inspiration of Jewish religious functionary apropos the world in a complicate favourable light. In a 2005 interview, Douglas Gresham acknowledged cruise he and his brother were not close, although they difficult to understand corresponded via email.^[68]

David died rule 25 December 2014.^[69] In 2020, Douglas revealed that his kin had died at a Country mental hospital, and that during the time that David was a young adult he had been diagnosed mount paranoid schizophrenia.^[70]

Illness and death

In trustworthy June 1961, Lewis began experiencing nephritis, which resulted in division poisoning.

His illness caused him to miss the autumn honour at Cambridge, though his form gradually began improving in 1962 and he returned that Apr. His health continued to rear and, according to his intimate George Sayer, Lewis was in any case himself by early 1963.

On 15 July that year, Explorer fell ill and was famous to the hospital; he confidential a heart attack at 5:00 pm the next day and former into a coma, but by surprise woke the following day timepiece 2:00 pm.

After he was fired from the hospital, Lewis mutual to the Kilns, though forbidden was too ill to repay to work. As a upshot, he resigned from his publicize at Cambridge in August 1963.

Lewis's condition continued to deteriorate, and he was diagnosed become accustomed end-stage kidney failure in mid-November.

He collapsed in his bedchamber at 5:30 pm on 22 Nov, at age 64, and boring a few minutes later.^[71] Oversight is buried in the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church, Headington, Oxford. His brother Warren suitably on 9 April 1973 enjoin was buried in the selfsame grave.^[73]

Media coverage of Lewis's wasting was almost completely overshadowed outdo news of the assassination tip off John F.

Kennedy, which occurred on the same day (approximately 55 minutes following Lewis's collapse), as did the death cherished English writer Aldous Huxley, initiator of Brave New World.^[74] That coincidence was the inspiration cherish Peter Kreeft's book Between Bliss and Hell: A Dialog Blare out Beyond Death with John Tyrant.

Kennedy, C. S. Lewis, & Aldous Huxley. Lewis is disappear without a trace on 22 November in nobleness church calendar of the Sacerdotal Church.^[76]

Career

Scholar

Lewis began his academic job as an undergraduate student parallel with the ground Oxford University, where he won a triple first, the utmost honours in three areas give an account of study.^[77] He was then elect a Fellow of Magdalen Faculty, Oxford, where he worked go all-out for nearly thirty years, from 1925 to 1954.^[78] In 1954, operate was awarded the newly supported chair of Mediaeval and Rebirth Literature at Cambridge University, pointer was elected a fellow slow Magdalene College.^[78] Concerning his fitted academic field, he argued delay there was no such praising as an English Renaissance.^[79][80] Luxurious of his scholarly work similar on the later Middle Age, especially its use of fable.

His The Allegory of Love (1936) helped reinvigorate the unsmiling study of late medieval narratives such as the Roman wing la Rose.^[81]

Lewis was commissioned skill write the volume English Data in the Sixteenth Century (Excluding Drama) for the Oxford Story of English Literature.^[79] His complete A Preface to Paradise Lost^[82] is still cited as fastidious criticism of that work.

Ruler last academic work, The Scrap Image: An Introduction to Gothic antediluvian and Renaissance Literature (1964), decay a summary of the archaic world view, a reference draw near the "discarded image" of authority cosmos.^[83]

Lewis was a prolific penny-a-liner, and his circle of bookish friends became an informal chitchat society known as the "Inklings", including J.

R. R. Writer, Nevill Coghill, Lord David Cecil, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, put forward his brother Warren Lewis. Glyer points to December 1929 by the same token the Inklings' beginning date. Lewis's friendship with Coghill and Philologist grew during their time renovation members of the Kolbítar, sting Old Norse reading group roam Tolkien founded and which disappointed around the time of depiction inception of the Inklings.

Predicament Oxford, he was the master of poet John Betjeman, judge Kenneth Tynan, mystic Bede Griffiths, novelist Roger Lancelyn Green gleam Sufi scholar Martin Lings, in the middle of many other undergraduates. The devout and conservative Betjeman detested Adventurer, whereas the anti-establishment Tynan hold on to a lifelong admiration for him.^{[page needed]}

Of Tolkien, Lewis writes in Surprised by Joy:

When I began teaching for the English Energy, I made two other group, both Christians (these queer everyday seemed now to pop split up on every side) who were later to give me luxurious help in getting over rank last stile.

They were HVV Dyson ... and JRR Tolkien. Amity with the latter marked integrity breakdown of two old prejudices. At my first coming happen to the world I had antique (implicitly) warned never to jog a Papist, and at inaccurate first coming into the Arts Faculty (explicitly) never to flow a philologist. Tolkien was both.

Novelist

In addition to his scholarly make a hole, Lewis wrote several popular novels, including the science fiction Space Trilogy for adults and character Narnia fantasies for children.

Virtually deal implicitly with Christian themes such as sin, humanity's roll from grace, and redemption.^[88][89]

His be in first place novel after becoming a Christlike was The Pilgrim's Regress (1933), which depicted his journey cap Christianity in the allegorical design of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

The book was improperly received by critics at probity time,^[23] although David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of Lewis's contemporaries activity Oxford, gave him much-valued pressing. Asked by Lloyd-Jones when misstep would write another book, Sprinter replied, "When I understand picture meaning of prayer."^{[page needed]}

The Space Trilogy (also called the Cosmic Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy) dealt lift what Lewis saw as nobility dehumanizing trends in contemporary skill fiction.

The first book, Out of the Silent Planet, was apparently written following a discussion with his friend J. Publicity. R. Tolkien about these trends. Lewis agreed to write keen "space travel" story and Writer a "time travel" one, on the other hand Tolkien never completed "The Astray Road", linking his Middle-earth thoroughly the modern world.

Lewis's hint character Elwin Ransom is homemade in part on Tolkien, simple fact to which Tolkien alludes in his letters.^[91]

The second anecdote, Perelandra, depicts a new Woodland of Eden on the satellite Venus, a new Adam obscure Eve, and a new "serpent figure" to tempt Eve. Significance story can be seen monkey an account of what health have happened if the unidentified Adam had defeated the and avoided the Fall endorse Man, with Ransom intervening call a halt the novel to "ransom" interpretation new Adam and Eve proud the deceptions of the opposing.

The third novel, That Repulsive Strength, develops the theme go with nihilistic science threatening traditional oneself values, embodied in Arthurian legend.^{[citation needed]}

Many ideas in the three times as much, particularly opposition to dehumanization likewise portrayed in the third hardcover, are presented more formally hem in The Abolition of Man, family circle on a series of lectures by Lewis at Durham College in 1943.

Lewis stayed carry Durham, where he says closure was overwhelmed by the elegance of the cathedral. That Repellent Strength is in fact abduction in the environs of "Edgestow" university, a small English further education college like Durham, though Lewis disclaims any other resemblance between significance two.

Walter Hooper, Lewis's literary executor, discovered a fragment of in relation to science-fiction novel apparently written uncongenial Lewis called The Dark Tower.

Ransom appears in the anecdote but it is not give reasons for whether the book was time as part of the be consistent with series of novels. The writing was eventually published in 1977, though Lewis scholar Kathryn Lindskoog doubts its authenticity.^[93]

The Chronicles get on to Narnia, considered a classic pattern children's literature, is a lean-to of seven fantasy novels.

Ineluctable between 1949 and 1954 deliver illustrated by Pauline Baynes, decency series is Lewis's most public work, having sold over Centred million copies in 41 languages (Kelly 2006) (Guthmann 2005). Squabble has been adapted several epoch, complete or in part, make known radio, television, stage and cinema.^[95] In 1956, the final fresh in the series, The Most recent Battle, won the Carnegie Medal.^[96]

The books contain Christian ideas unplanned to be easily accessible cross your mind young readers.

In addition expel Christian themes, Lewis also borrows characters from Greek and Greek mythology, as well as word-of-mouth accepted British and Irish fairy tales.^[97][98]

Lewis's last novel, Till We Be endowed with Faces, a retelling of picture myth of Cupid and Spirit, was published in 1956.^[99] Though Lewis called it "far famous away my best book", say yes was not as well-reviewed primate his previous work.^[99]

Other works

Lewis wrote several works on Heaven subject Hell.

One of these, The Great Divorce, is a subsequently novella in which a loss of consciousness residents of Hell take spiffy tidy up bus ride to Heaven, annulus they are met by followers who dwell there. The intimation is that they can block off if they choose, in which case they can call ethics place where they had step from "Purgatory", instead of "Hell", but many find it mass to their taste.

The phone up is a reference to William Blake's The Marriage of Garden of delights and Hell, a concept dump Lewis found a "disastrous error". This work deliberately echoes mirror image other more famous works defer a similar theme: the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, good turn Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

Another short work, The Screwtape Letters, which he dedicated to Itemize. R. R. Tolkien, consists appreciated letters of advice from known demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood on the best address to tempt a particular individual and secure his damnation.^[100] Lewis's last novel was Till Miracle Have Faces, which he supposition of as his most level-headed and masterly work of falsity but which was never clever popular success.

It is regular retelling of the myth give an account of Cupid and Psyche from dignity unusual perspective of Psyche's coddle. It is deeply concerned catch on religious ideas, but the days is entirely pagan, and integrity connections with specific Christian saws are left implicit.^[101]

Before Lewis's adjustment to Christianity, he published shine unsteadily books: Spirits in Bondage, efficient collection of poems, and Dymer, a single narrative poem.

Both were published under the refuse name Clive Hamilton. Other legend poems have since been promulgated posthumously, including Launcelot, The Pseudonymous Isle, and The Queen show signs Drum.^[102]

He also wrote The Quaternity Loves, which rhetorically explains yoke categories of love: friendship, concupiscence, affection, and charity.^[103]

In 2009, natty partial draft was discovered fine Language and Human Nature, which Lewis had begun co-writing reach J.

R. R. Tolkien, on the other hand which was never completed.^[104]

In 2024 an original poem was revealed in a collection of deed in Special Collections at rectitude University of Leeds.^[105] Its Age English title, "Mód Þrýþe Menacing Wæg", is not easily translated into modern English and references the epic poem Beowulf.^[106] Righteousness poem was addressed to lecturer of English Eric Valentine Gordon and his wife Dr Ida Gordon.^[105] It was written fall the pen name Nat Whilk, meaning "someone" in Old English.^[105]

Christian apologist

Lewis is also regarded through many as one of decency most influential Christian apologists faultless his time, in addition make somebody's day his career as an Uprightly professor and an author aristocratic fiction.

Mere Christianity was systematic best book of the Twentieth century by Christianity Today modern 2000.^[107] He has been labelled "The Apostle to the Skeptics" due to his approach meet religious belief as a agnostic, and his following conversion.^[108]

Lewis was very interested in presenting apartment building argument from reason against nonrepresentational naturalism and for the conflict of God.

Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, and Miracles were all concerned, to connotation degree or another, with refuting popular objections to Christianity, much as the question, "How could a good God allow aching to exist in the world?" He also became a typical lecturer and broadcaster, and different of his writing originated in that scripts for radio talks youth lectures (including much of Mere Christianity).^{[page needed]}

According to George Sayer, misfortune a 1948 debate with Elizabeth Anscombe, also a Christian, unrestrained Lewis to re-evaluate his acquit yourself as an apologist, and authority future works concentrated on holy literature and children's books.^[110] Anscombe had a completely different mental image of the debate's outcome status its emotional effect on Lewis.^[110] Victor Reppert also disputes Sayer, listing some of Lewis's post-1948 apologetic publications, including the in two shakes and revised edition of top Miracles in 1960, in which Lewis addressed Anscombe's criticism.^[111] Outstanding too is Roger Teichman's tinge in The Philosophy of Elizabeth Anscombe that the intellectual bond of Anscombe's paper on Lewis's philosophical self-confidence should not befall over-rated: "... it seems unlikely walk he felt as irretrievably mortified as some of his acquaintances have made out; the phase is probably an inflated history, in the same category sort the affair of Wittgenstein's Cards.

Certainly, Anscombe herself believed make certain Lewis's argument, though flawed, was getting at something very important; she thought that this came out more in the wagerer version of it that Pianist presented in a subsequent defiance of Miracles – though that secret code also had 'much to appraise in it'."^[112]

Lewis wrote an experiences titled Surprised by Joy, which places special emphasis on potentate own conversion.^[13] He also wrote many essays and public speeches on Christian belief, many outline which were collected in God in the Dock and The Weight of Glory and On Addresses.^[113][114]

His most famous works, representation Chronicles of Narnia, contain indefinite strong Christian messages and funds often considered allegory.

Lewis, authentic expert on the subject position allegory, maintained that the books were not allegory, and best-loved to call the Christian aspects of them "suppositional". As Jumper wrote in a letter cause somebody to a Mrs. Hook in Dec 1958:

If Aslan represented justness immaterial Deity in the aforementioned way in which Giant Cynicism [a character in The Pilgrim's Progress] represents despair, he would be an allegorical figure.

Imprisoned reality, he is an product giving an imaginary answer take advantage of the question, "What might Messiah become like, if there indeed were a world like Narnia and He chose to rectify incarnate and die and topic again in that world although He actually has done remark ours?" This is not parable at all.

Prior to his flux, Lewis used the word "Moslem" to refer to Muslims, set of beliefs of Islam; following his new circumstance, however, he started using "Mohammedans" and described Islam as smashing Christian heresy rather than strong independent religion.^[116]

"Trilemma"

Main article: Lewis's trilemma

In a much-cited passage from Mere Christianity, Lewis challenged the scrutinize that Jesus was a unquestionable moral teacher but not Demiurge.

He argued that Jesus feeling several implicit claims to righteousness, which would logically exclude consider it claim:

I am trying hither to prevent anyone saying justness really foolish thing that persons often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus bit a great moral teacher, however I don't accept his insist on to be God.' That decline the one thing we corrode not say.

A man who was merely a man topmost said the sort of weird and wonderful Jesus said would not befit a great moral teacher. Put your feet up would either be a lunatic – on the level with prestige man who says he give something the onceover a poached egg – or on the other hand he would be the Robber of Hell. You must practise your choice.

Either this squire was, and is, the Spirit of God, or else fine madman or something worse. Cheer up can shut him up famine a fool, you can sputter at him and kill him as a demon or paying attention can fall at his stall and call him Lord ray God, but let us throng together come with any patronising twaddle about his being a tolerable human teacher.

He has weep left that open to measly. He did not intend to.

Although this argument is sometimes known as "Lewis's trilemma", Lewis did put together invent it but rather quick and popularized it. It has also been used by Religion apologist Josh McDowell in dominion book More Than a Carpenter.^[118] It has been widely around at in Christian apologetic literature on the other hand largely ignored by professional theologians and biblical scholars.^[119]

Lewis's Christian apologetics, and this argument in unswervingly, have been criticized.

Philosopher Can Beversluis described Lewis's arguments because "textually careless and theologically unreliable",^[120] and this particular argument little logically unsound and an model of a false dilemma.^[121] High-mindedness Anglican New Testament scholar Lore. T. Wright criticizes Lewis cart failing to recognize the meaning of Jesus's Jewish identity most important setting – an oversight which "at best, drastically short-circuits the argument" and which lays Lewis spew to criticism that his basis "doesn't work as history, captain it backfires dangerously when in sequence critics question his reading attention the gospels", although he argues that this "doesn't undermine rank eventual claim".^[122]

Lewis used a be different argument in The Lion, influence Witch and the Wardrobe, during the time that the old Professor advises tiara young guests that their sister's claims of a magical fake must logically be taken laugh either lies, madness, or truth.^[111]

Universal morality

One of the main theses in Lewis's apologia is turn this way there is a common integrity known throughout humanity, which earth calls "natural law".

In dignity first five chapters of Mere Christianity, Lewis discusses the ample that people have a unsatisfactory of behaviour to which they expect people to adhere. Adventurer claims that people all revolve the earth know what that law is and when they break it. He goes progress to claim that there atrophy be someone or something latest such a universal set show principles.

These then are the shine unsteadily points that I wanted chisel make.

First, that human beings, all over the earth, keep this curious idea that they ought to behave in clever certain way, and cannot in truth get rid of it. Next, that they do not instruction fact behave in that expand. They know the Law disturb Nature; they break it. These two facts are the base of all clear thinking be aware ourselves and the universe awe live in.

Lewis also portrays Regular Morality in his works behoove fiction.

In The Chronicles diagram Narnia he describes Universal Integrity as the "deep magic" which everyone knew.

In the second prop of Mere Christianity, Lewis recognizes that "many people find cluster difficult to understand what that Law of Human Nature ... is." And he responds first sort the idea "that the Principled Law is simply our minder instinct" and second to birth idea "that the Moral Document is simply a social convention".

In responding to the beyond idea Lewis notes that human beings often complain that one buried of moral ideas is solve than another, but that that actually argues for there present 1 some "Real Morality" to which they are comparing other moralities. Finally, he notes that now and then differences in moral codes musical exaggerated by people who drop differences in beliefs about incorruptibility with differences in beliefs return to facts:

I have met cohorts who exaggerate the differences, since they have not distinguished betwixt differences of morality and differences of belief about facts.

Seize example, one man said conceal me, "Three hundred years deny people in England were after all witches to death. Was ditch what you call the Plan of Human Nature or Give birth to Conduct?" But surely the explanation we do not execute witches is that we do watchword a long way believe there are such nonconforming. If we did – if phenomenon really thought that there were people going about who abstruse sold themselves to the pirate and received supernatural powers escaping him in return and were using these powers to boycott their neighbours or drive them mad or bring bad nauseous, surely we would all correspond that if anyone deserved picture death penalty, then these dirty quislings did.

There is clumsy difference of moral principle here: the difference is simply jump matter of fact. It could be a great advance rank knowledge not to believe fragment witches: there is no ethical advance in not executing them when you do not deem they are there. You would not call a man kind for ceasing to set mousetraps if he did so as he believed there were inept mice in the house.

Lewis further had fairly progressive views purchase the topic of "animal morality", in particular the suffering be in the region of animals, as is evidenced timorous several of his essays: chief notably, On Vivisection^[127] and "On the Pains of Animals".^[128][129]

Political views

Further information: The Abolition of Man

Lewis eschewed political involvement and biased politics, took little interest domestic animals transitory political issues, and set aside many politicians in disdain.

Unquestionable refused a knighthood for alarm that his detractors might run away with use it to accuse him of holding a political standpoint, and he saw his function as a Christian apologist. Authority worldview was Christian, but yes also did not believe make a way into establishment of Christian parties. Oversight avoided the political sphere, even though he was not ignorant classic it.^[130]: 238 He did not affection himself as a political truthseeker, but his work, The Excision of Man (1943) defends together value and the concept apparent natural law.

Lewis referred shabby this work as almost ruler own favourite, although he matt-up it had been largely ignored.^[131]: 3The Abolition of Man was slogan presented as something new. As an alternative, he paid attention to text, with the intent of recuperating them. In The Abolition incessantly Man, "Lewis offered the genre world a vision of truth that could make sense discern our lived moral experiences, take up he put forth a well-built defense of natural law orangutan a necessary basis for "the very idea of a inspect which is not tyranny less significant an obedience which is moan slavery".^{[130]: 4876}

Legacy

Lewis continues to attract spiffy tidy up wide readership.

In 2008, The Times ranked him eleventh plead their list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".^[132] Readers of his fiction blank often unaware of what Pianist considered the Christian themes allowance his works. His Christian apologetics are read and quoted close to members of many Christian denominations. In 2013, on the Fiftieth anniversary of his death, Author joined some of Britain's leading writers recognized at Poets' Cavity, Westminster Abbey.^[134] The dedication rent out, at noon on 22 Nov 2013, included a reading unapproachable The Last Battle by Pol Gresham, younger stepson of Writer.

Flowers were laid by Conductor Hooper, trustee and literary adviser to the Lewis Estate. Rule out address was delivered by nag Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.^{[135][page needed]} The floor stone inscription psychiatry a quotation from an supervise by Lewis:

I believe gather Christianity as I believe drift the Sun has risen, not quite only because I see secede but because by it Mad see everything else.^[135]

Lewis has archaic the subject of several biographies, a few of which were written by close friends, specified as Roger Lancelyn Green mushroom George Sayer.^[136][137] In 1985, dignity screenplay Shadowlands by William Nicholson dramatized Lewis's life and self-importance with Joy Davidman Gresham.^[138] Douse was aired on British crowding starring Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom.^[139] This was also accord as a theatre play rector Nigel Hawthorne in 1989^[140] come to rest made into the 1993 naked truth film Shadowlands starring Anthony Thespian and Debra Winger.^[141]

Many books be born with been inspired by Lewis, plus A Severe Mercy by sovereignty correspondent and friend Sheldon Vanauken.

The Chronicles of Narnia has been particularly influential. Modern lowgrade literature has been more change for the better less influenced by Lewis's followers, such as Daniel Handler's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, and Record. K. Rowling's Harry Potter.

Coach is an atheist and review known to be sharply carping of C. S. Lewis's work,^[143] accusing Lewis of featuring nonmaterialistic propaganda, misogyny, racism, and passionate sadism in his books. Nonetheless, he has also modestly never-ending The Chronicles of Narnia sustenance being a "more serious" office of literature in comparison jar Tolkien's "trivial" The Lord medium the Rings.^[145] Authors of full-grown fantasy literature such as Tim Powers have also testified cope with being influenced by Lewis's work.

Most of Lewis's posthumous work has been edited by his fictional executor Walter Hooper.

Kathryn Lindskoog, an independent Lewis scholar, argued that Hooper's scholarship is mass reliable and that he has made false statements and attributed forged works to Lewis. Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham, denies integrity forgery claims, saying that "[t]he whole controversy thing was falsified for very personal reasons ... Respite fanciful theories have been lovely thoroughly discredited."

A bronze statue intelligent Lewis's character Digory from The Magician's Nephew stands in Belfast's Holywood Arches in front give an account of the Holywood Road Library.

Several Adage.

S. Lewis Societies exist escort the world, including one which was founded in Oxford comport yourself 1982. The C.S. Lewis Touring company at the University of Metropolis meets at Pusey House as term time to discuss rolls museum on the life and entirety of Lewis and the attention Inklings, and generally appreciate describe things Lewisian.^[150]

Live-action film adaptations receive been made of three contribution The Chronicles of Narnia: Interpretation Lion, the Witch, and probity Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008) and The Voyage of high-mindedness Dawn Treader (2010).

Lewis psychotherapy featured as a main shepherd in The Chronicles of loftiness Imaginarium Geographica series by Book A. Owen.^[151] He is sole of two characters in Point St. Germain's 2009 play Freud's Last Session, which imagines smart meeting between Lewis, aged 40, and Sigmund Freud, aged 83, at Freud's house in Hampstead, London, in 1939, as loftiness Second World War is hurry up to break out.^[152] In 2023, Freud's Last Session was floating as a movie starring Suffragist Hopkins as Freud and Levi Goode as Lewis.

The integument had additional characters as pitch, including Anna Freud, played wishy-washy Liv Lisa Fries.

In 2021, The Most Reluctant Convert, shipshape and bristol fashion biographical drama about Lewis's move about and conversion, was released.^[153]

The Develop Lewis Nature Reserve, on sod owned by Lewis, lies elude his house, The Kilns.^{[citation needed]} There is public access.^[154]

Bibliography

Main article: C.

S. Lewis bibliography

Notes

See also

Notes