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C. S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet
Fifty years after his death, C. S. Lewis continues to inspire and fascinate millions. His legacy remains varied and vast. He was a towering intellectual figure, a popular fiction author who inspired a global movie franchise around the world of Narnia, and an atheist-turned-Christian thinker.
In C.S. Lewis: A Life, Alister McGrath, prolific author and respected professor at King's College of London, paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. After thoroughly examining recently published Lewis correspondence, Alister challenges some of the previously held beliefs about the exact timing of Lewis's shift from atheism to theism and then to Christianity. He paints a portrait of an eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.
You won't want to miss this fascinating portrait of a creative genius who inspired generations. (Tyndale House Publishers)
In C.S. Lewis: A Life, Alister McGrath, prolific author and respected professor at King's College of London, paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. After thoroughly examining recently published Lewis correspondence, Alister challenges some of the previously held beliefs about the exact timing of Lewis's shift from atheism to theism and then to Christianity. He paints a portrait of an eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.
You won't want to miss this fascinating portrait of a creative genius who inspired generations. (Tyndale House Publishers)
448 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2012
674 people are currently reading
6415 people want to read
About the author
Alister E. McGrath
452 books493 followersAlister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
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October 25, 2013
2.5 stars. Oh my God. Where to begin?
AN Wilson's biography of CS Lewis is infamous for being 100% entertaining while only about 50% true. This book, while claiming to right the wrongs of Wilson's biography, possibly makes just as many mistakes, and isn't even entertaining to boot.
Ok, let's break this down.
Problem number 1:
McGrath seemed more interested in writing a biography of Lewis The Scholar or Lewis the Author than Lewis the Man.
McGrath is an Oxford don himself, and he points out from the very beginning how much he has in common with Lewis because of this, which is instantly insufferable. However, the bigger problem is that he doesn't seem to have much of an interest in writing a biography. We spend loads of time on literary analysis -- two damn chapters are devoted to Narnia analysis alone -- but do you know what we get none of? Not one single sentence? Lewis' process in writing the books! THAT'S biography! Even at the end, when writing about Joy Davidson Lewis' death, McGrath is more interested in writing about the stylistic choices made in A Grief Observed than, I dunno, exploring Lewis' grief!
Problem number 2:
Titled chapter sections that limit rather than expand
McGrath makes the bizarre choice of titling sections within each of his chapters, with things like "Albert Lewis' Concerns About His Son" and "Lewis' Friendship with Arthur Greeves." The problem with this, in McGrath's hands, is that it somehow limits his information rather than expand. For example, Mrs. Moore lived with Lewis and had a varied and complex relationship with him for almost 30 years. But after the section of the chapter that was labeled to be about her, he just ignores the next 20 years of her existence, showing up once in 1 sentence (in a speculation about her influence on a character in The Screwtape Letters) before another section, much later, is devoted to her final illness and death. McGrath compartmentalizes Lewis' life so completely that entire aspects of it are totally ignored.
Problem number 3:
McGrath clearly cannot stand Joy Davidman and doesn't understand Lewis' attraction to her.
Let me start off with a defense here: I am NOT a huge romantic, and I do not view the uber-sentimental Shadowlands as the truth of their relationship. But when discussing Joy Davidman, McGrath falls into a trap I've seen from many male authors who write biographies of their idols: they can't stand the woman who was their idol's romantic partner (usually a woman who is cut from a different cloth), and so decides that his idol's feelings couldn't have been that strong either. You see this all the time with Anthony's love for Cleopatra, Lincoln's love for Mary Todd, and more recently, Bill and Hillary Clinton's relationship. People are SO UNCOMFORTABLE with these relationships that they decide the women are harpies and the men are long-suffering saints/blackmailed/bewitched to be with them.
They were civilly married 5 years, and married in the Christian church for 3. McGrath spends a large amount of time exploring Lewis' and Davidman's relationship BEFORE they were "really" married, asserting over and over that Lewis really didn't have any feelings for her, using the most illogical arguments ever (He didn't stop talking with other women friends, so clearly he felt nothing for Davidman! WTF, is there some rule that a man can only talk to one woman at a time?), and playing to the hilt what a manipulative, seductive shrew Davidman is. He even says things like "By 1955, Lewis had reluctantly let Davidman move into the Kilns." With no citation. No. NO. If you are going to include emotions attached to actions, you better damn well have a primary source or I will be MAD.
To make matters worse, the last 3 years of their relationship, where it's clear Lewis is crazy in love with her (All you have to do is read A Grief Observed, Lewis' own words, to see this; this is hardly me being a naive romantic) ? One paragraph. One.
There are maybe one or two interesting tidbits that I read in here, particularly concerning Lewis' friendship with Greeves, that I was interested to learn, but ultimately, this book is just a massive failure on all levels.
AN Wilson's biography of CS Lewis is infamous for being 100% entertaining while only about 50% true. This book, while claiming to right the wrongs of Wilson's biography, possibly makes just as many mistakes, and isn't even entertaining to boot.
Ok, let's break this down.
Problem number 1:
McGrath seemed more interested in writing a biography of Lewis The Scholar or Lewis the Author than Lewis the Man.
McGrath is an Oxford don himself, and he points out from the very beginning how much he has in common with Lewis because of this, which is instantly insufferable. However, the bigger problem is that he doesn't seem to have much of an interest in writing a biography. We spend loads of time on literary analysis -- two damn chapters are devoted to Narnia analysis alone -- but do you know what we get none of? Not one single sentence? Lewis' process in writing the books! THAT'S biography! Even at the end, when writing about Joy Davidson Lewis' death, McGrath is more interested in writing about the stylistic choices made in A Grief Observed than, I dunno, exploring Lewis' grief!
Problem number 2:
Titled chapter sections that limit rather than expand
McGrath makes the bizarre choice of titling sections within each of his chapters, with things like "Albert Lewis' Concerns About His Son" and "Lewis' Friendship with Arthur Greeves." The problem with this, in McGrath's hands, is that it somehow limits his information rather than expand. For example, Mrs. Moore lived with Lewis and had a varied and complex relationship with him for almost 30 years. But after the section of the chapter that was labeled to be about her, he just ignores the next 20 years of her existence, showing up once in 1 sentence (in a speculation about her influence on a character in The Screwtape Letters) before another section, much later, is devoted to her final illness and death. McGrath compartmentalizes Lewis' life so completely that entire aspects of it are totally ignored.
Problem number 3:
McGrath clearly cannot stand Joy Davidman and doesn't understand Lewis' attraction to her.
Let me start off with a defense here: I am NOT a huge romantic, and I do not view the uber-sentimental Shadowlands as the truth of their relationship. But when discussing Joy Davidman, McGrath falls into a trap I've seen from many male authors who write biographies of their idols: they can't stand the woman who was their idol's romantic partner (usually a woman who is cut from a different cloth), and so decides that his idol's feelings couldn't have been that strong either. You see this all the time with Anthony's love for Cleopatra, Lincoln's love for Mary Todd, and more recently, Bill and Hillary Clinton's relationship. People are SO UNCOMFORTABLE with these relationships that they decide the women are harpies and the men are long-suffering saints/blackmailed/bewitched to be with them.
They were civilly married 5 years, and married in the Christian church for 3. McGrath spends a large amount of time exploring Lewis' and Davidman's relationship BEFORE they were "really" married, asserting over and over that Lewis really didn't have any feelings for her, using the most illogical arguments ever (He didn't stop talking with other women friends, so clearly he felt nothing for Davidman! WTF, is there some rule that a man can only talk to one woman at a time?), and playing to the hilt what a manipulative, seductive shrew Davidman is. He even says things like "By 1955, Lewis had reluctantly let Davidman move into the Kilns." With no citation. No. NO. If you are going to include emotions attached to actions, you better damn well have a primary source or I will be MAD.
To make matters worse, the last 3 years of their relationship, where it's clear Lewis is crazy in love with her (All you have to do is read A Grief Observed, Lewis' own words, to see this; this is hardly me being a naive romantic) ? One paragraph. One.
There are maybe one or two interesting tidbits that I read in here, particularly concerning Lewis' friendship with Greeves, that I was interested to learn, but ultimately, this book is just a massive failure on all levels.
March 5, 2022
An excellent biography about a writer and his impact on the literary world.
November 29, 2021
I did not love this book as much as I wanted to and I entirely blame myself. I went in with the wrong expectations. I expected a popular biography. But while biographical, this is a much more critical, academic look at Lewis's life. I found it interesting...just not what I expected.
McGrath likes details I find somewhat irrelevant. He spends a surprisingly large chunk of time on what year Lewis became a Christian. (He disagrees with the date Lewis set in his own writings). He critiques Mere Christianity, pontificates on what order to read The Chronicles of Narnia, and refutes critics of A Grief Observed. But then he leaves other books by Lewis untouched.
At the same time, I did enjoy this overview. I particularly appreciated how McGrath layers in Lewis's rising fame and the toll it took on him. He whetted my appetite by touching on the academic women in Lewis's life and I want more. I also liked the analysis putting Lewis in the context of his Irish ancestry.
While I wouldn't recommend this one as an intro to Lewis's life, it has achieved its classic status for a reason.
McGrath likes details I find somewhat irrelevant. He spends a surprisingly large chunk of time on what year Lewis became a Christian. (He disagrees with the date Lewis set in his own writings). He critiques Mere Christianity, pontificates on what order to read The Chronicles of Narnia, and refutes critics of A Grief Observed. But then he leaves other books by Lewis untouched.
At the same time, I did enjoy this overview. I particularly appreciated how McGrath layers in Lewis's rising fame and the toll it took on him. He whetted my appetite by touching on the academic women in Lewis's life and I want more. I also liked the analysis putting Lewis in the context of his Irish ancestry.
While I wouldn't recommend this one as an intro to Lewis's life, it has achieved its classic status for a reason.
June 14, 2020
Scholarly. Articulate. Incredibly well-researched and thorough. This biography is only for the die-hard Lewis fans, who are willing to learn extensive details about Lewis's life, sticking with it through the 400+ pages. There are many shorter biographies that are adequate for the common Lewis-layman, but, to loosely paraphrase a Lewis quote: you can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book on Lewis long enough to suit me.
This gets five stars because I absolutely love reading McGrath's writing. I heard him speak once, and was captivated by the way he deeply explores important issues, and yet is still easily accessible and un-wordy. Every sentence is strong: adding another element to the discussion, reasoning out another piece of the argument, assuming there are even more layers of intelligence in the reader's observations. He respects his audience, which I can't thank him enough for.
Sometimes McGrath's comments seem suspiciously without footnotes, but really there is a ton of documentation -- when I look at the pages and pages of references in the back, I can tell he knows what he's doing. Some reviewers have complained that McGrath lapses into pure literary analysis. And true, he perhaps could have focused a little more on the effects of these works upon Lewis's life and character -- but who am I to complain about a little literary analysis here and there? (These were not large distractions, in my opinion.) He also tends to mix the dates around, referencing events or publications outside of the period of time he is focusing upon -- but this I can't fault him for, since it's hard to discuss influences in a person's life without lots of overlap. I did especially like how McGrath handled Lewis's relationships with women, be it romantic, scholarly, or fictional -- he set everything into the appropriate context eloquently.
Honestly, I got a little homesick when I was reading the parts about Lewis's early days in Oxford. Even the smallest of references was powerful to me, because I've walked those very streets in Oxford that McGrath casually refers to, and in some small way I can understand the environment/atmosphere Lewis was immersed in during his career. It made my heart ache for a time and place like that. Therefore, this was a powerful nonfiction book for me personally.
The last section of this book was one of the most beautifully eloquent reflections on Lewis I've ever read. Beautiful ending to an excellent book.
This gets five stars because I absolutely love reading McGrath's writing. I heard him speak once, and was captivated by the way he deeply explores important issues, and yet is still easily accessible and un-wordy. Every sentence is strong: adding another element to the discussion, reasoning out another piece of the argument, assuming there are even more layers of intelligence in the reader's observations. He respects his audience, which I can't thank him enough for.
Sometimes McGrath's comments seem suspiciously without footnotes, but really there is a ton of documentation -- when I look at the pages and pages of references in the back, I can tell he knows what he's doing. Some reviewers have complained that McGrath lapses into pure literary analysis. And true, he perhaps could have focused a little more on the effects of these works upon Lewis's life and character -- but who am I to complain about a little literary analysis here and there? (These were not large distractions, in my opinion.) He also tends to mix the dates around, referencing events or publications outside of the period of time he is focusing upon -- but this I can't fault him for, since it's hard to discuss influences in a person's life without lots of overlap. I did especially like how McGrath handled Lewis's relationships with women, be it romantic, scholarly, or fictional -- he set everything into the appropriate context eloquently.
Honestly, I got a little homesick when I was reading the parts about Lewis's early days in Oxford. Even the smallest of references was powerful to me, because I've walked those very streets in Oxford that McGrath casually refers to, and in some small way I can understand the environment/atmosphere Lewis was immersed in during his career. It made my heart ache for a time and place like that. Therefore, this was a powerful nonfiction book for me personally.
The last section of this book was one of the most beautifully eloquent reflections on Lewis I've ever read. Beautiful ending to an excellent book.
September 1, 2021
For Lewis fans and scholars, Alaster McGrath writes a pedantic bibliography based primarily on Lewis’ intense correspondence. The author appears much more interested in ascertaining precise dates and facts (in contrast with his discovered ‘errors’ in previous biographies) than in writing a smooth and flowing narrative of Lewis’s life. The book is well-documented and extensive. While I am glad to have read this biography and enjoyed some of the author’s findings and points of view, I personally favor biographies that have less academic points to make and are more focused on story telling (David McCullough style).
January 6, 2022
Whenever you read a biography about one of your heroes it is a scary proposition. In fact, I have avoided many such biographies because I am fine not knowing how terrible people I looked up to actually are. Now don’t get me wrong I love biographies and histories. Some of my heroes have come from these books (Like Lieutenant Dick Winters from Band of Brothers or Teddy Roosevelt from River of Doubt). But I have avoided my favorites just for fear of being let down. I am pleased to say that did not happen with Lewis. Yes there are some points in his life (after he became a believer) that made me scratch my head and if I were his pastor/elder we would have to talk about at length, but this did not distract from this work as a whole. It was a good biography. I know though that the author only scratched the surface and I can’t wait to read more biographies and even more so I can’t wait to read more Lewis! Highly recommended
March 10, 2013
I've been fascinated with C.S. Lewis in a arms-length sort of way for quite some time. I read the Chronicles of Narnia in late grade school and loved them. I rediscovered and reread them with my husband when the first movie came out in 2005 and loved them even more.
His fiction has continued to fascinate me since my childhood, though I didn't start really reading it until The Screwtape Letters in 2006 and then following with an immersion in the Ransom (Space) Trilogy, both of which I highly enjoyed. Screwtape, in fact, ranks as a book I keep multiple copies of, because I hate to not have it on hand. It's better than an examination of conscience in many ways.
So I was very interested in the Patheos Book Club's discussion of the newest C.S. Lewis biography, C.S. Lewis--A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet, by Alistair E. McGrath. And then, about 20 pages into it, I remembered something: I don't usually like reading biographies.
Thankfully, that was a hurdle that lasted only a chapter or two until I found myself embroiled in Lewis's life, wondering how the background he had could have led to the writing I so enjoy reading.
It was fascinating...and very, verrrrry thorough. I have only a very slight scholarly bend (don't let the title of my blog fool you), but I can appreciate the work that must have been poured into this book.
While it's very complete--from birth until death, and even a consideration of the lasting impact of Lewis's work--it did also make me think about things I wouldn't have ever considered before. It made me think about the people who impacted him and the way they colored who he was to become. It made me consider in some depth how much a parent does for a child.
It also made me wonder: what happened to his stepsons? Who were these godchildren of his? What did he do when he wasn't immersed in the academic life (gardening and walking the dog aside)?
I found myself seeing Lewis as both a guy with enormous talent and also a genius with incredible hurdles. I felt compassion for the young boy and joy for the older man. I was befuddled with his later choices and yet intrigued by his view of Narnia and the role of stories.
This biography made me want to not only reread the Narnia books with an increased appreciation for Lewis's worldview, and it also made me want to read Mere Christianity (a book, honestly, I've never really felt a need to read).
Throughout this book, McGrath keeps an observer's stance--he interjects his own thoughts and comments only a few times, and when he does, it's clear that he's put a lot of thought into them.
Reading this book was a slice of history, and the kind of history I really enjoy. It's a story, and one I'll be sharing (probably with my husband, first of all), and maybe even one I'll be rereading sometime in the future.
I'm glad I read this, and I found I couldn't put it down. It was thoroughly engaging and completely enlightening. Highly recommended!
His fiction has continued to fascinate me since my childhood, though I didn't start really reading it until The Screwtape Letters in 2006 and then following with an immersion in the Ransom (Space) Trilogy, both of which I highly enjoyed. Screwtape, in fact, ranks as a book I keep multiple copies of, because I hate to not have it on hand. It's better than an examination of conscience in many ways.
So I was very interested in the Patheos Book Club's discussion of the newest C.S. Lewis biography, C.S. Lewis--A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet, by Alistair E. McGrath. And then, about 20 pages into it, I remembered something: I don't usually like reading biographies.
Thankfully, that was a hurdle that lasted only a chapter or two until I found myself embroiled in Lewis's life, wondering how the background he had could have led to the writing I so enjoy reading.
It was fascinating...and very, verrrrry thorough. I have only a very slight scholarly bend (don't let the title of my blog fool you), but I can appreciate the work that must have been poured into this book.
While it's very complete--from birth until death, and even a consideration of the lasting impact of Lewis's work--it did also make me think about things I wouldn't have ever considered before. It made me think about the people who impacted him and the way they colored who he was to become. It made me consider in some depth how much a parent does for a child.
It also made me wonder: what happened to his stepsons? Who were these godchildren of his? What did he do when he wasn't immersed in the academic life (gardening and walking the dog aside)?
I found myself seeing Lewis as both a guy with enormous talent and also a genius with incredible hurdles. I felt compassion for the young boy and joy for the older man. I was befuddled with his later choices and yet intrigued by his view of Narnia and the role of stories.
This biography made me want to not only reread the Narnia books with an increased appreciation for Lewis's worldview, and it also made me want to read Mere Christianity (a book, honestly, I've never really felt a need to read).
Throughout this book, McGrath keeps an observer's stance--he interjects his own thoughts and comments only a few times, and when he does, it's clear that he's put a lot of thought into them.
Reading this book was a slice of history, and the kind of history I really enjoy. It's a story, and one I'll be sharing (probably with my husband, first of all), and maybe even one I'll be rereading sometime in the future.
I'm glad I read this, and I found I couldn't put it down. It was thoroughly engaging and completely enlightening. Highly recommended!
February 12, 2018
Most excellent! This book contained many insights into the life of CS Lewis that I had never encountered before. Plus, at the end, McGrath looks at the CS Lewis Phenomenon and why he has a lasting legacy with today’s evangelicals. This time I listened to the book on audio and I must say it has two added bonuses that are fantastic: The first is an interview with Alastair McGrath, and the second is two recorded talks by CS Lewis. I grabbed this book from the library, but I definitely want to buy a hardback copy of this to keep on hand.
December 23, 2014
Growing up in an intellectually engaged, American evangelical home in the 70’s and 80’s made it almost inevitable that C.S. Lewis would be a part of my life. My father first read aloud to me and my brothers The Chronicles of Narnia when I was 11 and before leaving for college I'd read his classics: Mere Christianity, The Abolition of Man, The Screwtape Letters (side note: you haven’t truly enjoyed Screwtape until you've listened to the version narrated by John Cleese).
But my encounters with Lewis certainly didn’t diminish in college; not when you attend Wheaton College, whose Marion E. Wade Center is dedicated to research of Lewis and some of his contemporaries as well as home to the Lewis family wardrobe. Now, as a father, I have continued the transmission of Lewis by reading the Chronicles to my nine- and ten-year-olds.
If your background is that of an American evangelical, it’s likely that your head is nodding in recognition of my encounters with Lewis. But, why? Why does an academic hailing from Oxford and Cambridge, who never set foot in the United States, still maintain such a following on the 50th anniversary of his death?
In the final chapter of his meticulously-researched biography, C.S. Lewis - A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet, Alister McGrath attempts to answer this question. Why didn’t he fade away into obscurity, as Lewis himself predicted near the end of his life that he would?
McGrath details the role that evangelicals played in resurrecting “The Lewis Phenomenon” (as the final chapter is titled). What Lewis found in Christianity was a narrative that united the two primary aspects of his intellectual life: imagination and reason. And that was exactly what American evangelicals were searching for as they were emerging from cultural and intellectual isolation in the 70’s while postmodernity was on the rise. They rediscovered Lewis' writings, through which “they could enrich their faith without diluting it, and engage secular culture in ways other than through reasoned argument”.
McGrath continues: “Lewis allowed his readers to grasp and benefit from the importance of images and stories for the life of faith, without losing sight of the robustly reasonable nature of the Christian gospel”. But the images weren't simply the visual illustrations of the Narnian world Lewis created. They were also the verbal illustrations that he used to clearly communicate biblical truth.
Anyone who reads Mere Christianity will be struck by the sheer number of illustrations that Lewis uses to clearly communicate complicated theological truths. From the very first sentence, using imaginary quarrelling as a proof for objective moral standards, to the final chapter when he compares Christ's work of making New Men to the process of turning a horse into a winged creature, Lewis employs vivid illustrations throughout. He explains why in the text: “It is quite right to go away from [the words of the Bible] for a moment in order to make some special point clear.” Before adding: “But you must always go back.”
As a professor, Lewis understood that people learn new things primarily by relating them to things that they already know. So he helps his readers by providing them an illustration that relates the Christian faith to things already familiar to them. That’s also how he saw theology; as a practical way of giving people “the clearest and most accurate ideas” about God. He writes: “if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones-bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas.”
And Lewis frequently follows his illustrations with something like this, which follows his illustration of the atonement: “Such is my own way of looking at what Christians call the Atonement. But remember this is only one more picture. Do not mistake it for the thing itself: and if it does not help you, drop it.”
But it's precisely because Lewis' illustrations are so useful that his ideas - and he along with them - have stood the test of time. And the origin of those ideas is what McGrath captures so well in his important biography. In a way that departs from the many other biographies of Lewis, McGrath sets out to understand him - “above all, his ideas, and how these found expression in his writing”.
McGrath brings a depth of research that is unparalleled among Lewis biographers. He spent 15 months chronologically reading Lewis’ entire published output - 3,500 pages of his letters - which were only completely published in 2006 - and hundreds of published works. The footnotes alone take up 24 of the book’s 431 pages. That meticulous research led to some important new insights about Lewis, including a new date for his conversion to Christianity that even corrects Lewis’ autobiography. (Perhaps it isn't too surprising that Lewis was off a little on the date of his conversion. After all, while explaining the chronology of the Screwtape Letters in the preface, he wrote: “the diabolical method of dating seems to bear no relation to terrestrial time”).
But far more important than correcting 80-year-old calendars is the tapestry it weaves of the origin and development of Lewis’ ideas. McGrath follows Lewis from his Irish childhood to English boarding school, through his service as infantryman in World War I to his difficult road to becoming an Oxford don. But McGrath isn't just checking biographical boxes; at each of these stages of Lewis’ life, he’s digging into Lewis’ writings, as well as the intellectual context in which they were created, to better understand how these stages shaped the thoughts that Lewis became famous for.
This biography also rehabilitates Lewis' reputation in some important ways. One is his shift away from from apologetics later in his life. Previous biographers (primarily A.N. Wilson) attributed it to his being publicly taken to task by a young Catholic philosopher, Elizabeth Anscombe. McGrath contends that the interaction has been overblown; that Lewis saw it as an important corrective rather than a rebuke and that he had already been drifting away from apologetics for some time.
Another rehabilitation is in correcting the apparent lack of intellectual heft in Lewis' most famous works: The Chronicles of Narnia. They may have sold more than 100 million copies, but in part due to the criticism of fellow inkling J.R.R. Tolkien, they have been perceived as lightweight; as having been “dashed off in an afternoon.” McGrath, through research of his own and the writings of others, finds deeper structures in the series. The most significant is the identification of the seven novels with the medieval belief in seven planets that revolve around the earth. This theory was first put forward by Oxford Lewis scholar Michael Ward in his 2008 book, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis, and McGrath presents it uncritically.
There's not enough room to go in depth here, but one wishes McGrath had spent more than three pages on the theory, which I still find unconvincing. In fact, if I have one criticism of the book, it’s that McGrath skims over some recent development in Lewis scholarship, while devoting a third of the book to Lewis' life before his conversion, despite acknowledging how important that conversion was for Lewis' ideas and writings.
But that is a minor quibble, and in many ways, McGrath is the ideal person to document the life and thoughts of Lewis. Like Lewis, McGrath spent his childhood in Ireland, was a student and then a don at Oxford, “was an atheist as a younger man, before discovering the intellectual riches of the Christian faith” and is now, like Lewis was, an apologist for that faith. McGrath has a published corpus nearly as large as Lewis' that is primarily Christian apologetics and Academic theology.
Indeed, McGrath is pre-eminently qualified to speak to two of the three Lewises that he identifies in his biography: the “Christian writer and the apologist” as well as “the distinguished Oxford don and literary critic. Readers who are interested in the third (and most well-known) Lewis, “the creator of the fabulous world of Narnia” will get a few choice morsels from McGrath. But if they are hungry for more, they would do well to follow it with Alan Jacobs' The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis. And while McGrath focuses more here on the life and apologetics of Lewis, he has followed it up with The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis, taking a closer look at Lewis’ academic work.
McGrath raises - but doesn’t answer - the question of how Lewis will continue to be received in the future. Now that we’re 50 years removed from Lewis’ death I think it’s safe to say that we’ll still be reading him 50 years from now. And as future generations grapple with the thoughts, illustrations and the person of Lewis, McGrath’s important biography will be an indispensable guide for the task.
But my encounters with Lewis certainly didn’t diminish in college; not when you attend Wheaton College, whose Marion E. Wade Center is dedicated to research of Lewis and some of his contemporaries as well as home to the Lewis family wardrobe. Now, as a father, I have continued the transmission of Lewis by reading the Chronicles to my nine- and ten-year-olds.
If your background is that of an American evangelical, it’s likely that your head is nodding in recognition of my encounters with Lewis. But, why? Why does an academic hailing from Oxford and Cambridge, who never set foot in the United States, still maintain such a following on the 50th anniversary of his death?
In the final chapter of his meticulously-researched biography, C.S. Lewis - A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet, Alister McGrath attempts to answer this question. Why didn’t he fade away into obscurity, as Lewis himself predicted near the end of his life that he would?
McGrath details the role that evangelicals played in resurrecting “The Lewis Phenomenon” (as the final chapter is titled). What Lewis found in Christianity was a narrative that united the two primary aspects of his intellectual life: imagination and reason. And that was exactly what American evangelicals were searching for as they were emerging from cultural and intellectual isolation in the 70’s while postmodernity was on the rise. They rediscovered Lewis' writings, through which “they could enrich their faith without diluting it, and engage secular culture in ways other than through reasoned argument”.
McGrath continues: “Lewis allowed his readers to grasp and benefit from the importance of images and stories for the life of faith, without losing sight of the robustly reasonable nature of the Christian gospel”. But the images weren't simply the visual illustrations of the Narnian world Lewis created. They were also the verbal illustrations that he used to clearly communicate biblical truth.
Anyone who reads Mere Christianity will be struck by the sheer number of illustrations that Lewis uses to clearly communicate complicated theological truths. From the very first sentence, using imaginary quarrelling as a proof for objective moral standards, to the final chapter when he compares Christ's work of making New Men to the process of turning a horse into a winged creature, Lewis employs vivid illustrations throughout. He explains why in the text: “It is quite right to go away from [the words of the Bible] for a moment in order to make some special point clear.” Before adding: “But you must always go back.”
As a professor, Lewis understood that people learn new things primarily by relating them to things that they already know. So he helps his readers by providing them an illustration that relates the Christian faith to things already familiar to them. That’s also how he saw theology; as a practical way of giving people “the clearest and most accurate ideas” about God. He writes: “if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones-bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas.”
And Lewis frequently follows his illustrations with something like this, which follows his illustration of the atonement: “Such is my own way of looking at what Christians call the Atonement. But remember this is only one more picture. Do not mistake it for the thing itself: and if it does not help you, drop it.”
But it's precisely because Lewis' illustrations are so useful that his ideas - and he along with them - have stood the test of time. And the origin of those ideas is what McGrath captures so well in his important biography. In a way that departs from the many other biographies of Lewis, McGrath sets out to understand him - “above all, his ideas, and how these found expression in his writing”.
McGrath brings a depth of research that is unparalleled among Lewis biographers. He spent 15 months chronologically reading Lewis’ entire published output - 3,500 pages of his letters - which were only completely published in 2006 - and hundreds of published works. The footnotes alone take up 24 of the book’s 431 pages. That meticulous research led to some important new insights about Lewis, including a new date for his conversion to Christianity that even corrects Lewis’ autobiography. (Perhaps it isn't too surprising that Lewis was off a little on the date of his conversion. After all, while explaining the chronology of the Screwtape Letters in the preface, he wrote: “the diabolical method of dating seems to bear no relation to terrestrial time”).
But far more important than correcting 80-year-old calendars is the tapestry it weaves of the origin and development of Lewis’ ideas. McGrath follows Lewis from his Irish childhood to English boarding school, through his service as infantryman in World War I to his difficult road to becoming an Oxford don. But McGrath isn't just checking biographical boxes; at each of these stages of Lewis’ life, he’s digging into Lewis’ writings, as well as the intellectual context in which they were created, to better understand how these stages shaped the thoughts that Lewis became famous for.
This biography also rehabilitates Lewis' reputation in some important ways. One is his shift away from from apologetics later in his life. Previous biographers (primarily A.N. Wilson) attributed it to his being publicly taken to task by a young Catholic philosopher, Elizabeth Anscombe. McGrath contends that the interaction has been overblown; that Lewis saw it as an important corrective rather than a rebuke and that he had already been drifting away from apologetics for some time.
Another rehabilitation is in correcting the apparent lack of intellectual heft in Lewis' most famous works: The Chronicles of Narnia. They may have sold more than 100 million copies, but in part due to the criticism of fellow inkling J.R.R. Tolkien, they have been perceived as lightweight; as having been “dashed off in an afternoon.” McGrath, through research of his own and the writings of others, finds deeper structures in the series. The most significant is the identification of the seven novels with the medieval belief in seven planets that revolve around the earth. This theory was first put forward by Oxford Lewis scholar Michael Ward in his 2008 book, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis, and McGrath presents it uncritically.
There's not enough room to go in depth here, but one wishes McGrath had spent more than three pages on the theory, which I still find unconvincing. In fact, if I have one criticism of the book, it’s that McGrath skims over some recent development in Lewis scholarship, while devoting a third of the book to Lewis' life before his conversion, despite acknowledging how important that conversion was for Lewis' ideas and writings.
But that is a minor quibble, and in many ways, McGrath is the ideal person to document the life and thoughts of Lewis. Like Lewis, McGrath spent his childhood in Ireland, was a student and then a don at Oxford, “was an atheist as a younger man, before discovering the intellectual riches of the Christian faith” and is now, like Lewis was, an apologist for that faith. McGrath has a published corpus nearly as large as Lewis' that is primarily Christian apologetics and Academic theology.
Indeed, McGrath is pre-eminently qualified to speak to two of the three Lewises that he identifies in his biography: the “Christian writer and the apologist” as well as “the distinguished Oxford don and literary critic. Readers who are interested in the third (and most well-known) Lewis, “the creator of the fabulous world of Narnia” will get a few choice morsels from McGrath. But if they are hungry for more, they would do well to follow it with Alan Jacobs' The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis. And while McGrath focuses more here on the life and apologetics of Lewis, he has followed it up with The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis, taking a closer look at Lewis’ academic work.
McGrath raises - but doesn’t answer - the question of how Lewis will continue to be received in the future. Now that we’re 50 years removed from Lewis’ death I think it’s safe to say that we’ll still be reading him 50 years from now. And as future generations grapple with the thoughts, illustrations and the person of Lewis, McGrath’s important biography will be an indispensable guide for the task.
July 29, 2024
This first biography of the appealing Christian writer, C. S. Lewis, to be written by someone who did not know him personally covers all the bases, critically reviews his writings, and relies on the now public correspondence … contains an amazing “Timeline” and a very helpful listing of “ Works Consulted” … worthy companion to other works about Lewis, most notably “ The Lion of Judah in Never Never Land” by Kathryn Lindskoog, Chad Walsh’s “C. S. Lewis: Apostle to the Skeptics,” and A. N. Wilson’s magisterial biography, “C. S. Lewis: a Biography” … absolutely stellar …
by Kathryn Lindskoog( no photo)
by Chad Walsh (no photo)
by
A.N. Wilson
by
Roger Lancelyn Green
by Kathryn Lindskoog( no photo)
by Chad Walsh (no photo)
by
A.N. Wilson
by
Roger Lancelyn Green
October 18, 2016
This is the most important book that has ever been written about C. S. Lewis. The depth of research and the strength of explanatory power found in this book are unparalleled in the pre-existing criticism on Lewis, and some of the discoveries Alister McGrath reveals in the book have been a great surprise to Lewis scholars and yet have been accepted by them as accurate. Despite the scholarly nature of "C. S. Lewis: A Life", this book makes for a very enjoyable, humorous, and leisurely read, due in large part to McGrath's entertaining writing style, which is characterized by clarity of thought, skillful turns of phrase, and an infectious love for Lewis's writings.
March 13, 2013
Short Review: This is the best bio of Lewis I have read and one that is well worth reading. It is a popular biography and McGrath says he is going to do a more academic biography later, which I look forward to. This one is highly readable and hits all of the right notes. McGrath had access to newly released letters and that seems to have made a big difference. There are some new details that have come out as a result of this biography and some may take issue with them, but McGrath seems to have documented them fairly well. I do wish there was more about Lewis' spiritual development. Other than the Inklings he does not seem to have had a Christian community around him, or at least it was not well discussed. I also wanted more about his interaction with his stepsons before and after their mother's death. And connected with the spiritual development I wish there had been more discussed about this theology.
In spite of the areas that were lacking this is still a 5 star biography.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/cs-lewis-a-life/
In spite of the areas that were lacking this is still a 5 star biography.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/cs-lewis-a-life/
March 27, 2016
Well done! I hadn't read a Lewis biography in thirty years or more, so this brought me up to date on new findings from the letters and other sources. I think McGrath handled the facts clearly and fairly, and I appreciate his spending sufficient time on the works.
November 8, 2022
4.6 Stars
Alister McGrath's "C. S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet" is a masterful biography dealing with the life and writings of C.S. Lewis. McGrath has written an excellent book on Lewis who is known for his children's fantasy Narnia series and his early apologetic works. The strength of McGrath's book is that he allows Lewis's writings to form the structure of his life, dealing a significant amount of time on the Chronicles of Narnia which is what most readers will be familiar with. This allows the reader to understand Lewis through the books that we have already encountered Lewis and helps us to understand the influences and ideas that compelled Lewis to write and defend the Christian faith.
After reading this book I have greatly appreciated the fantastical apological work Lewis did in his fictional works. After arguing for the rationality of the Christian faith for the early part of his career, Lewis switched to a more literary approach, understanding that imagination and affections were more convincing proof for Christianity than reason. I am thankful for that and it has grown my appreciation for literature and how it helps us to see more of the truth of the Divine.
This is a great read and an excellent introduction to C.S. Lewis. It is not long and it is well-written. Anyone seeking an introduction to the life of Lewis and his influences would do well to start here!
Alister McGrath's "C. S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet" is a masterful biography dealing with the life and writings of C.S. Lewis. McGrath has written an excellent book on Lewis who is known for his children's fantasy Narnia series and his early apologetic works. The strength of McGrath's book is that he allows Lewis's writings to form the structure of his life, dealing a significant amount of time on the Chronicles of Narnia which is what most readers will be familiar with. This allows the reader to understand Lewis through the books that we have already encountered Lewis and helps us to understand the influences and ideas that compelled Lewis to write and defend the Christian faith.
After reading this book I have greatly appreciated the fantastical apological work Lewis did in his fictional works. After arguing for the rationality of the Christian faith for the early part of his career, Lewis switched to a more literary approach, understanding that imagination and affections were more convincing proof for Christianity than reason. I am thankful for that and it has grown my appreciation for literature and how it helps us to see more of the truth of the Divine.
This is a great read and an excellent introduction to C.S. Lewis. It is not long and it is well-written. Anyone seeking an introduction to the life of Lewis and his influences would do well to start here!
April 27, 2019
C.S. Lewis: A Life is a carefully researched and well-crafted biography suitable to the stature of its subject. Updated with new findings from Lewis's recently published correspondence and aided by McGrath's engaging style, this book is unique in its mission to connect Lewis's life with his writings, especially for those who have enjoyed his works and want to understand the auto-biographical content in them. This is a must for Lewis fans!
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June 24, 2013Not as great as I thought/hoped it was going to be at the beginning, but certainly the most academic yet sympathetic biography of Lewis we've had so far (which sadly isn't saying much -- the A.N. Wilson biography is really something. Something awful). Not much literary analysis, tho, and he spends way too much time on the repellent Mere Christianity, but he discusses Lewis's imaginative system the same way Garth did in Tolkien and the Great War -- altho this is nowhere near that book. Also way too much attention paid to Narnia at the expense of Til We Have Faces and the Ransom trilogy. Lewis might be surprised, if not disappointed, that so much of his posthumous fame rests on his Christian apologetics and rather hastily written children's books.
July 14, 2016
superb, don't hesitate to read it.
McGrath has done a marvellous work , not only entertaining and informativ.
It leaves you with a deep apreciation for this man of God.
At the same time you want to read much more what C S Lewis has written.
Excellent, superb, my full recommendation.
Please read it, you won't regret it.
Five stars !!!
McGrath has done a marvellous work , not only entertaining and informativ.
It leaves you with a deep apreciation for this man of God.
At the same time you want to read much more what C S Lewis has written.
Excellent, superb, my full recommendation.
Please read it, you won't regret it.
Five stars !!!
January 2, 2017
Four and a half stars.
This gift from my writer friends, Nola Passmore and Adele Jones, is a thoughtful biography of Lewis, which challenges much of the received wisdom about dating when it comes to his conversion. Very interesting to note the over-arching patterns in Lewis' life (which, while not specifically pointed out by McGrath, are there for the reader to discern).
This gift from my writer friends, Nola Passmore and Adele Jones, is a thoughtful biography of Lewis, which challenges much of the received wisdom about dating when it comes to his conversion. Very interesting to note the over-arching patterns in Lewis' life (which, while not specifically pointed out by McGrath, are there for the reader to discern).
May 7, 2013
Clive Staple Lewis is one of my heroes. I found this biography literally staring at me while moving slowly through my local book store and much to the chagrin of my wife I brought it home with me. The author, Alister McGrath has given us a consciences and insightful look into the life of one of the 20th century’s greatest men.
Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1898. His father was a solicitor and his mother was the daughter of a clergy man in the Church of Ireland. He grew up in a time of religious conflict that had Catholics and Protestants ready to take up arms against one another. He himself was born into the roots of Ulster Protestantism. His father made sure he was surrounded by books and when his brother Warnie was sent away to boarding school he found companionship in them. He loved to read and so he drank deeply from classical literature and Nordic Myth. He imbibed on Irish landscape and culture and from them developed a love of language and storytelling. After his mother died in 1908, he attended three boarding schools and hated each one. Finally, he was able to study with a private tutor which made all the difference to him. He made it to Oxford only to be sent to the front lines of World War I, where he was wounded. He finally made his way back to Oxford where he was elected to a fellowship at Magdalene College.
C.S. Lewis was a scholar who was bad at math. He was an Atheist who converted to Christianity becoming one of her great defenders. He understood that Christianity was the one true myth that all other myths pointed to. He was a pagan poet who became one of Christendom's greatest authors. He drank deeply from old books and challenged the “chronological snobbery” so persistent in modern man. He hated vivisection and the poor treatment of animals believing a civilization that treats its animals poorly is soon on the decline. He rightly believed it is no short distance from the poor treatment of animals to the poor treatment of a culture's weakest and most vulnerable. His novels appeal to our moral imagination and reason at the same time. He created worlds that will be traveled 100 years from now by children and adults alike. He challenges us to read for enjoyment and the expansion of our horizons. He teaches us that the world we live in is a supernatural world created by a supernatural God.
He had his weaknesses. His practical estrangement from his father bothered him throughout his life. At times, he was a poor judge of character and allowed himself to be taken advantage of. He could be stubborn turning down a prestigious chair at Cambridge University.
Providentially, Lewis died on July 22, 1963, the same day JFK was assassinated and Alduous Huxley died. Our culture's elite’s have declared the end of an earthly Camelot. C.S. Lewis shouts through our imagination, grabs our intellect, and points us to a Kingdom that will never end.
Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1898. His father was a solicitor and his mother was the daughter of a clergy man in the Church of Ireland. He grew up in a time of religious conflict that had Catholics and Protestants ready to take up arms against one another. He himself was born into the roots of Ulster Protestantism. His father made sure he was surrounded by books and when his brother Warnie was sent away to boarding school he found companionship in them. He loved to read and so he drank deeply from classical literature and Nordic Myth. He imbibed on Irish landscape and culture and from them developed a love of language and storytelling. After his mother died in 1908, he attended three boarding schools and hated each one. Finally, he was able to study with a private tutor which made all the difference to him. He made it to Oxford only to be sent to the front lines of World War I, where he was wounded. He finally made his way back to Oxford where he was elected to a fellowship at Magdalene College.
C.S. Lewis was a scholar who was bad at math. He was an Atheist who converted to Christianity becoming one of her great defenders. He understood that Christianity was the one true myth that all other myths pointed to. He was a pagan poet who became one of Christendom's greatest authors. He drank deeply from old books and challenged the “chronological snobbery” so persistent in modern man. He hated vivisection and the poor treatment of animals believing a civilization that treats its animals poorly is soon on the decline. He rightly believed it is no short distance from the poor treatment of animals to the poor treatment of a culture's weakest and most vulnerable. His novels appeal to our moral imagination and reason at the same time. He created worlds that will be traveled 100 years from now by children and adults alike. He challenges us to read for enjoyment and the expansion of our horizons. He teaches us that the world we live in is a supernatural world created by a supernatural God.
He had his weaknesses. His practical estrangement from his father bothered him throughout his life. At times, he was a poor judge of character and allowed himself to be taken advantage of. He could be stubborn turning down a prestigious chair at Cambridge University.
Providentially, Lewis died on July 22, 1963, the same day JFK was assassinated and Alduous Huxley died. Our culture's elite’s have declared the end of an earthly Camelot. C.S. Lewis shouts through our imagination, grabs our intellect, and points us to a Kingdom that will never end.
June 25, 2019
Alister McGrath's painstaking biography on C.S. Lewis has been one of the most satisfying reads I've come across in a long time. McGrath's skill as a historian shines. He challenges ideas about Lewis and presents new ones—but all based on his deep knowledge of history, theology, philosophy, British and American culture, political movements and more to contextualize Lewis and put some major meat on the bones of this biography.
Especially notable for me was learning of Lewis's flaws and personal misgivings about his achievements. His perceived failures stacked pretty high: being constantly overlooked for big jobs at Oxford, his bouts of loneliness, his backward romances, his workaholism, his conviction of being "over" as a Christian apologist. The twists and turns of his history, summed up in 400+ pages, exhausted me—but I found them weirdly encouraging, too. Even the best and most brilliant of us are plagued with self-doubt and dark seasons that last years longer than (we think) they should. He made some poor and peculiar choices. His family life was kind of a disaster. But God was and is there—planning, prompting, inspiring—and you can see that in Lewis's life.
It's not a breezy read, but an accessible and enlightening one. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a wide angle lens through which to view Lewis's body of work. Next up for me are his Chronicles of Narnia. I've never read all seven—and I'm officially overdue.
Especially notable for me was learning of Lewis's flaws and personal misgivings about his achievements. His perceived failures stacked pretty high: being constantly overlooked for big jobs at Oxford, his bouts of loneliness, his backward romances, his workaholism, his conviction of being "over" as a Christian apologist. The twists and turns of his history, summed up in 400+ pages, exhausted me—but I found them weirdly encouraging, too. Even the best and most brilliant of us are plagued with self-doubt and dark seasons that last years longer than (we think) they should. He made some poor and peculiar choices. His family life was kind of a disaster. But God was and is there—planning, prompting, inspiring—and you can see that in Lewis's life.
It's not a breezy read, but an accessible and enlightening one. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a wide angle lens through which to view Lewis's body of work. Next up for me are his Chronicles of Narnia. I've never read all seven—and I'm officially overdue.
March 22, 2022
4.5 stars. McGrath’s biography of Lewis is both a narrative and a work of literary criticism. Thoroughly enjoyed the book; it was a page-turner for me (when I had it in hand— it took me three months to read. Ha! This is what happens when you have 14 books on your rotation at once). Gives a less-than-idealized view of Joy Davidman, whom McGrath asserts came to England to seduce Lewis. The author’s source for this view is Davidman’s son, Douglas Gresham.
July 13, 2019
An enthralling biography of an odd man who lived a rather broken and fascinating life. I started the book thinking of him as a distant acquaintance and finished it feeling as if Lewis were a good and exquisite friend. McGrath's explanation of Lewis' vision of the Christian Life is illuminating and his writing style delightful - though one could wish for more conviction to come through his account. Overall, one of my favorite bios to date.
December 9, 2014
A welcome addition to my shelf of books about C. S. Lewis, just below my shelf of books by C. S. Lewis. While perhaps not a definitive biography, A Life gives the reader insights to how and how badly Lewis was injured during World War One and the enigmatic Mrs. Moore. McGrath also proposes a new chronology of Lewis’ famous conversion to Christianity. Lots of good insights. Did you know Lewis nominated Tolkien for the Nobel Prize in Literature?
McGrath’s thesis is that it is hard for us to know this Oxford don and Cambridge professor who died just over fifty years ago because it was hard for Lewis to know—or come to grips with—who he was himself. To know himself as he really was. This 400 page tome helps.
Lewis continues to influence readers long after many of his more famous contemporaries have faded. I only discovered Lewis in the mid-1980s. I happened upon a copy of Mere Christianity on a book shelf in Saudi Arabia (of all places). Since then I have read most of his major works, and found him to be entertaining, thought-provoking and inspiring.
Lewis is clearly out of step with this world—he was a devote Christian, he believed education was to build character as much as fill heads with facts, and he found the world to be full of wonders and adventure.
I’m with him.
McGrath’s thesis is that it is hard for us to know this Oxford don and Cambridge professor who died just over fifty years ago because it was hard for Lewis to know—or come to grips with—who he was himself. To know himself as he really was. This 400 page tome helps.
Lewis continues to influence readers long after many of his more famous contemporaries have faded. I only discovered Lewis in the mid-1980s. I happened upon a copy of Mere Christianity on a book shelf in Saudi Arabia (of all places). Since then I have read most of his major works, and found him to be entertaining, thought-provoking and inspiring.
Lewis is clearly out of step with this world—he was a devote Christian, he believed education was to build character as much as fill heads with facts, and he found the world to be full of wonders and adventure.
I’m with him.
February 14, 2019
Lewis lived a harder life than I had realized. He was, not all the time, but consistently under serious stress from issues in his personal life (rough relationship with his father, friends dead in WWI, no work after college, murky relationship with Mrs. Moor, caring for troublesome relatives and others, backstabbing university politics, marriage that estranged him from his friends, etc.)
Shortly before he died, Lewis said he figured his work would fall permanently out of public view within five years of his death. Lewis wasn’t planning on having a “legacy”, he was more focused on playing his part well regardless of outcome.
He has a good word in along these line in The World’s Last Night looking at a character in Shakespeare who sees a man being blinded, stands up for him, and is stabbed to death for it. “That is his whole part: eight lines all told. But if it were real life and not a play, that is the part it would be best to have acted. ...We are led to expect that the Author will have something to say to each of us on the part that each of us had played. The playing it well is what matters infinitely.”
Shortly before he died, Lewis said he figured his work would fall permanently out of public view within five years of his death. Lewis wasn’t planning on having a “legacy”, he was more focused on playing his part well regardless of outcome.
He has a good word in along these line in The World’s Last Night looking at a character in Shakespeare who sees a man being blinded, stands up for him, and is stabbed to death for it. “That is his whole part: eight lines all told. But if it were real life and not a play, that is the part it would be best to have acted. ...We are led to expect that the Author will have something to say to each of us on the part that each of us had played. The playing it well is what matters infinitely.”
June 2, 2013
I read a lot of Lewis in my teens and I loved it (and, more recently, I've read "Narnia" for my daughter - she loved it), but over the years, especially during my theological studies, I've "gotten over" him somewhat. He turned out not to be as brilliant a philosopher as I used to think. I've changed my mind now. What I most appreciated about McGrath's new Lewis biography, more than the detailed account of his life, the critical engagement with the form and development of his thought and writing, the contextualisation, both during and after his life, was how it rekindled not only my love, but my respect for Lewis. He wasn't trying to be an academic philosopher or theologian and I guess I forgot that. Now I remember. I also remember he was a popular apologist second to none. As a result, I've recovered all my old books from the attic, especially "Screwtape" and "Faces", and put in orders for the ones I didn't get around to reading when I was younger, the space trilogy chief among them.
A most highly recommended book.
A most highly recommended book.
January 13, 2014
By far, Alistair McGrath gives the most comprehensive biography of C.S. Lewis to date. His is a fair and thorough look at a literary giant who has had more impact on people after his death than during his writing career.
Reading this has made me want to go back and read all of Lewis' works again, with a wider knowledge of who the man himself was.
Reading this has made me want to go back and read all of Lewis' works again, with a wider knowledge of who the man himself was.
February 8, 2014
A corrective and critical biography, unlike the others which went far more into detail on Jack's life. But very well researched and it sets straight some things we always thought about Jack's life, like when he really converted, the politics of his job and the awkward way Joy Davidman impressed herself into his life. Well worth reading.
August 30, 2021
An expansive, well-rounded, and well-researched biography.
It's interesting to see the background behind many of his writings, his personal, public, and professional life. his friendship with Tolkien, and many other facets of his fascinating life.
This bio gave me an appreciation for the man and a desire to read more of his work!
It's interesting to see the background behind many of his writings, his personal, public, and professional life. his friendship with Tolkien, and many other facets of his fascinating life.
This bio gave me an appreciation for the man and a desire to read more of his work!
July 10, 2024
Informative, impersonal, academic biography of C.S. Lewis. I enjoyed reading it and definitely learned loads about Lewis's life and his writing and how one impacted the other. It's also encouraged me to do a deep dive into all of Lewis's writings.
I have a few qualms with the biographer. mcGrath spends a significant amount of time debating the timeline of Lewis's conversion but never explains why it matters. Does it matter if he believed in Christ as man and God in April or September of the same year? I can't understand why a few months' difference should be of importance and found it frustrating how many words were wasted on this debate.
McGrath also constantly starts to jump ahead, then says, "we'll get to that later." For example, he mentions a long letter Tolkien wrote Lewis after a big falling out they had, then says we'll return to that letter after we talk about this other new challenge in Lewis's life. Why mention Tolkien's letter if you aren't ready to talk about it? This happens many times during the book, and it drives me bonkers. I think because of this, it feels repetitive. He has to rebring up facts he previously stated because now he's in the right chapter for that information.
Other than those few reoccurring issues throughout the book, it was an excellent read into the life and works of C.S. Lewis.
I have a few qualms with the biographer. mcGrath spends a significant amount of time debating the timeline of Lewis's conversion but never explains why it matters. Does it matter if he believed in Christ as man and God in April or September of the same year? I can't understand why a few months' difference should be of importance and found it frustrating how many words were wasted on this debate.
McGrath also constantly starts to jump ahead, then says, "we'll get to that later." For example, he mentions a long letter Tolkien wrote Lewis after a big falling out they had, then says we'll return to that letter after we talk about this other new challenge in Lewis's life. Why mention Tolkien's letter if you aren't ready to talk about it? This happens many times during the book, and it drives me bonkers. I think because of this, it feels repetitive. He has to rebring up facts he previously stated because now he's in the right chapter for that information.
Other than those few reoccurring issues throughout the book, it was an excellent read into the life and works of C.S. Lewis.
March 3, 2022
Really informative book that felt comfortable to read.
It was a ton of fun to read more about the life of C.S. Lewis. This biography did a really great job of laying out his life as well as some of the reasoning behind his writings. McGrath also included praise and criticism of Lewis and he books upon release which was very helpful and fair. I was most interested in the parts about the Inklings, the backgrounds behind the books, and his friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien. McGrath’s writing also does a great job of showing Lewis’s mind and how he was able to use it to combine reason and creativity to make his point.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Lewis and his work.
This is my first book by Alister McGrath. I’m not sure how eager I am to read other books by him, but it seems like he has quite the range in writing ability, from what I know of him (which isn’t a super ton). But maybe someday or if someone recommends something that sounds interesting.
C.S. Lewis is definitely a theological hero of mine, as well as so many others, and I hope to continue to read his works and maybe some other biographies on him.
It was a ton of fun to read more about the life of C.S. Lewis. This biography did a really great job of laying out his life as well as some of the reasoning behind his writings. McGrath also included praise and criticism of Lewis and he books upon release which was very helpful and fair. I was most interested in the parts about the Inklings, the backgrounds behind the books, and his friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien. McGrath’s writing also does a great job of showing Lewis’s mind and how he was able to use it to combine reason and creativity to make his point.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Lewis and his work.
This is my first book by Alister McGrath. I’m not sure how eager I am to read other books by him, but it seems like he has quite the range in writing ability, from what I know of him (which isn’t a super ton). But maybe someday or if someone recommends something that sounds interesting.
C.S. Lewis is definitely a theological hero of mine, as well as so many others, and I hope to continue to read his works and maybe some other biographies on him.
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