It seems that most folks I run into have a CS Lewis moment or event or book they like. I first read CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia when I was in college. Kris had read them and couldn't stop talking about them so we began our adventure with his novels then and there. I had read his Mere Christianity and Miracles and especially his Screwtape Letters prior to the novels, but I fell in love with Lewis' characters. What is your moment or event or favorite book by Lewis?
Now news about CS Lewis. And I just can't believe it has taken this long, but am I glad. I have read most of Lewis' Letters -- now three fat volumes -- but have always wondered about his correspondence with Joy Davidman, his wife, and whose name became the wonderful double entendre in Surprised by Joy.
Drum roll and big news for all CS Lewis buffs: Joy Davidman, Out of My Bone: The Letters and Autobiography of Joy Davidman
(ed Don W. King), is now in print. These are her letters and they cover the trials of her first marriage to WL Gresham, her curious mind and pursuit of truth (which led her to CS Lewis), her journey from secular Judaism to atheism to Communism and finally to her Christian faith. Most notably, we find her own chronicle as she confronted the cancer that took her life and that led to some of Lewis' own most potent writing.On top of this we are treated to her autobiography, "The Longest Way Round."
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Jeremy, for a long time my favorite Lewis biography was George Sayers' "Jack." A student and later a friend of Lewis, Sayers is uniquely positioned to write a biography that both strives for some degree of objectivity while avoiding (because unnecessary) much of the educated guesswork that a biographer who didn't know the man would have to engage in.
But since reading Alan Jacobs' The Narnian, I at leat need to make room for it beside "Jack" and perhaps even give it pride of place.
I'm sure you're aware of the new Baker release: Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C. S. Lewis. To the many who have discovered his books, C. S. Lewis is more than simply a writer; he has also been a spiritual mentor. In this book over fifty Christians share how Lewis, in his books, has sparked the beginning or changed the course of their spiritual journey.
If you have a transformational testimonial of how the writings of C. S. Lewis has turned your life around, the editors of Mere Christians would like to hear from you; perhaps your story will find its way into a second volume
Far too much to put down. The man is titan. There's simply no better prose writer of the english language.
My favorite piece of writing is the end of Mere Christianity. The last 10 or so pages are gold. They are not his best writing, simply the most personally meaningful to me.
I took the long way.I first met CS Lewis as the wise teacher/friend/mentor in "A Severe Mercy", then wandered through several biographies before ever reading his books. My children, however, were weaned on Narnia, and Screwtape, and the Perelandra/Silent Planet/Hideous Strength books. They now have well worn copies of Mere Christianity, same as their mum.
As an aside here, an interesting-looking book which has gained a fair bit of media coverage in the UK on CS Lewis is this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Narnia-Seven-Heavens-Imagination/dp/0195313879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248094971&sr=1-1
Not read it myself yet, but it intelligently explores medieval cosmology in Lewis' theology and literature - looks fascinating.
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