C.S. Lewis

Biography of C.S. Lewis
Fiction by C.S. Lewis
Non-Fiction by C.S. Lewis
Books Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works
Films Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works
Web Sites Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works
Mailing Lists Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works
Newsgroups Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works

Biography of C.S. Lewis

Born in Belfast in 1898, C.S. Lewis was the second son of a nominally Christian lawyer. Early in life, Lewis was fervently religious, but in his early teens he became an atheist. His school experience alternated between horror (in a vicious boarding school which he referred to later as "Belsen", after one of the more notorious Nazi prison camps) and bliss (with a private tutor in Surrey.) Lewis fought and was wounded in World War I, made it into Oxord on the strength of of status as a vet (which enabled him to bypass the requirement to pass a math exam), and found his calling teaching English at Oxford. He published two books of poetry, and was in the midst of his work on The Allegory of Love, a study of the concept of courtly love in Mediaeval literature, when he finally returned to a belief in God (in 1929) and became a Christian (in 1933.)

Lewis' conversion was sparked in part by his reading, especially the works of George MacDonald and G.K. Chesterton, and in part by discussions with believing friends, most famously Owen Barfield and J.R.R. Tolkien. (Later, in Surprised by Joy, his autobiography, Lewis wrote, "A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.") Once converted, Lewis became an able advocate of the faith, and is better known today for his Christian works than for his literary criticism.

Lewis first burst onto the North American scene with TheScrewtape Letters in 1942, although he is probably best known for his children's fantasy books, The Chronicles of Narnia. I have long recommended Mere Christianity as an excellent introduction to the Christian faith. However, Lewis' short essays are probably the least widely read, and that is a shame.

Lewis died in 1963, and thus 1998 was the centenary of his birth, and the 35th anniversary of his death. Many of his works were reprinted for the occasion, although it's not often that any of his works go out of print.

Fiction by C.S. Lewis

Out of the Silent Planet

John Lane, 1938
Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength are also available in a complete set as The Cosmic Trilogy.

The Screwtape Letters

Geoffrey Bles, 1942
It's not easy being a demon, as this classic shows.

Perelandra

John Lane, 1943
Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength are also available in a complete set as The Cosmic Trilogy.

That Hideous Strength

John Lane, 1945
Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength are also available in a complete set as The Cosmic Trilogy.

The Cosmic Trilogy

Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength in a complete set.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Geoffrey Bles, 1950-56
7 volumes, also available individually.

Non-Fiction by C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity

Geoffrey Bles, 1952
Adaptation of a series of radio addresses.

God in the Dock

William B. Eerdmans, 1970
Collected essays.

Fern-Seed and Elephants

Fount, 1975
Collected essays.

Of This and Other Worlds

Fount, 1975
Collected essays.

Books Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works

Carpenter, Humphrey

The Inklings
George Allen and Unwin, 1978
Study on the Inklings.

Duriez, Colin

The C.S. Lewis Handbook
Baker Book House, 1990
Dictionary-style reference to information about Lewis and his works.

Gresham, Douglas H.

Lenten Lands
HarperCollins, 1988
Autobiography of C.S. Lewis' stepson.

Hooper, Walter

Past Watchful Dragons
Collier Macmillan, 1979
A discussion of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Kilby, Clyde S.

The Christian World of C.S. Lewis
William B. Eerdmans, 1964
One of the earliest discussions of Lewis' writings, published shortly after his death.

Lindskoog, Kathryn

C.S. Lewis: Mere Christian
Regal Books, 1973

Meilaender, Gilbert

The Taste for the Other: The Social and Ethical Thought of C.S. Lewis
William B. Eerdmans, 1978

Sayer, George

Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis
Crossway Books, 1994
A remarkably detailed biography of Lewis by one of his former students.

Films Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works

Shadowlands

BBC Wales
1985

Shadowlands

1993

Web Sites Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works

• Bruce Edwards' Inklings page
• The C.S. Lewis Foundation
• C.S. Lewis Tours, guided tours of sites in and around Oxford related to C.S. Lewis
• Into the Wardrobe: A Web site devoted to C. S. Lewis
• The Mythopoeic Society, a non-profit international literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, and enjoyment of fantasy and mythic literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams.

Mailing Lists Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works

Note: for more information on how to subscribe to a mailing list, consult Appendix B of the Christian Telecommunications Toolkit.

News Groups Related to C.S. Lewis and His Works

alt.books.cs-lewis

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