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Rady skúseného diabla

C.S. Lewis

4.23 · Rating details · 346,309 ratings · 11,838 reviews

Vo svojom klasickom diele nás C. S. Lewis zasväcuje do korešpondencie medzi dvoma diablami: skúseným Krutodlakom a jeho synovcom Svrabomilom. Krutodlak zastáva byrokratickú funkciu v pekelnej hierarchii a je mentorom neskúseného Svrabomila. Ten práve začína svoju démonickú kariéru v službách „Otca v Hlbinách“ a bol poverený, aby odviedol nového kresťana – “pacienta” – od v ...more

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Paperback, 148 pages

Published 2013 by Porta libri (first published 1942)

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Aug 29, 2007 Joanie Rich rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone who's not afraid of the truth

It's great to read fiction that gives you a punch in a gut! It's not often a book will hold up a mirror to you and show you some things you'd rather not see. The Screwtape Letters was that book for me.

Every Christian needs to get a hold of this book and read it through! It's helped me gain a deep understanding of how the forces of darkness try to undermine joy and truth. I'd especially recommend it to readers new to C.S. Lewis, as this is a good sample of his writing and a good place to start fr ...more

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Jan 21, 2008 MelissaS rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

I love this book - it really makes you think. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a compilation of letters from a "tempter," Screwtape, to his nephew, a "junior tempter" named Wormwoood. In the letters, Screwtape gives Wormwood adivce and counsel on how to best tempt his "subject" - a young man who converts to Christianity, and then falls in love with a Christian woman. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about how the adversary tempts us. What i ...more

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Aug 02, 2007 J.G. Keely rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, reviewed, contemporary-fantasy, uk-and-ireland, fantasy

If not for the fact that this is a satire in earnest, it would serve as a powerful absurdist invective against humanity itself. If this book improved my view of Christians it was only because it points out that all the faults conspicuous in the rabidly faithful are equally well-represented in the uninformed agnostic, if less readily apparent--Lewis does his best to drag everyone down to a common level.

The sharp weapon of Lewis's rhetoric tears down humanity through all its self-righteous hubris, ...more

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Oct 12, 2015 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, humor, 20th-century, classics, christian, religion, british

The Screwtape Letters, Clive Staples C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetic novel by C. S. Lewis and dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien. It is written in a satirical, epistolary style and while it is fictional in format, the plot and characters are used to address Christian theological issues, primarily those to do with temptation and resistance to it.

The Screwtape Letters comprises 31 letters written by a senior demon named Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood (named after a star in The Screwtape Letters, Clive Staples C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetic novel by C. S. Lewis and dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien. It is written in a satirical, epistolary style and while it is fictional in format, the plot and characters are used to address Christian theological issues, primarily those to do with temptation and resistance to it.

The Screwtape Letters comprises 31 letters written by a senior demon named Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood (named after a star in Revelation), a younger and less experienced demon, charged with guiding a man (called "the patient") toward "Our Father Below" (Devil / Satan) from "the Enemy" (God).

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز ششم ماه نوامبر سال 2016میلادی

عنوان: نامه های اسکروتیپ - نامه های یک شیطان عالیمقام به شیطان دون پایه؛ نویسنده: سی.اس لوئیس؛ مترجم: شهریار روحانی؛ تهران، نشر اشراقیه، 1369، در 141ص، موضوع: نامه ها ، مسیحیت، از نویسندگان بریتانیایی سده 20م

نامه هایی ست از سوی یک مقام عالی رتبه ی وزارت شیطان (اسکروتیپ)، به یک شیطان کارآموز جوان (وارم وود)؛ اسکروتیپ شاگردش را راهنمایی و روشهای فریب انسانها را برایش مینویسد؛ تا یک مرد بیمار «انگلیسی» را به سوی پدر دوزخی، یا همان «شیطان» هدایت کند؛ نامه‌ های «اسکروتِیْپ» رمانی نامه‌نگارانه اثر «سی.اس لوئیس» است که در سال 1941میلادی به‌ صورت هفتگی در «گاردین»، که یک نشریهٔ مذهبی بود، چاپ می‌شد؛ این نامه‌ها در سال 1942میلادی در قالب یک کتاب منتشر شدند و در سال 1962میلادی سخنرانی «اسکروتیپ» به آن افزوده شد و در مجلدی جدید به چاپ رسید؛ این اثر طنز که در دفاع از مسیحیت نوشته شده‌، شامل سی و یک نامه است، که در آن‌ها شیطانی کارکشته به‌ نام «اِسکروتِیپ» شیطان جوان «ورم‌ وود» را، با بهترین روش وسوسه، و به بیراهه میکشاند، انسانی را که به او سپرده شده‌، راهنمایی می‌کند؛ این کوشش با حضور هماره ی او در کلیسا، و آشنایی اش با زنی مسیحی و باایمان، ادامه مییابد، و در نهایت با مرگ او در جریان بمباران هوایی در جنگ جهانی دوم شکست می‌خورد؛ نویسنده ی کتاب «لوئیس» با استفاده «آیرونیک» از پرسونای روایی یک شیطان، تصویری را از نبرد بین خوب و شر، و مختصات طرفین ترسیم می‌کند، و آرایش را درباره ی دورویی آدمی، عدم خودآگاهی، و انگیزه‌ های اصلی اعمال او، به دست می‌دهد؛

پس از نامه ی دوم، «بیمار» به مسیحیت تغییر مذهب می‌دهد، و «اسکروتیپ» برای این امر «ورم‌وود» را سرزنش می‌کند؛ پس از این بین «ورم‌وود» و «اسکروتیپ» تضادی برقرار می‌گردد: «ورم‌وود» بر آن است که بیمار را به گناهان وحشتناک و قبیح سوق دهد، و گاه در این کار زیادی‌ روی می‌کند، ولی توصیهٔ «اسکروتیپ» این است، که او باید ظریفانه‌ تر «بیمار» را وسوسه کند؛ «اسکروتیپ» در نامه ی شماره دوازده می‌نویسد «مطمئن‌ترین راه به جهنم راه آهسته و پیوسته‌ است – شیب آرام، جاپای نرم، بدون هیچ گردش ناگهانی، بدون تابلوی بغل جاده یا نشانه‌های بین راهی.»؛

تاریخ نخستین خوانش 22/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Jan 01, 2018 ❄️BooksofRadiance❄️ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, classics

It's always the books that I randomly come across or the spur of the moment reads that almost always end up (pleasantly) surprising me.

This book was so out of my range and certainly not the kind I usually pick up but I wanted something different and wow, was it that. It was thought-provoking (and very unnerving at times) with an interesting premise that had me questioning a lot of the things that we do without even realising and the effects of these actions.

You know, there are many reasons why I It's always the books that I randomly come across or the spur of the moment reads that almost always end up (pleasantly) surprising me.

This book was so out of my range and certainly not the kind I usually pick up but I wanted something different and wow, was it that. It was thought-provoking (and very unnerving at times) with an interesting premise that had me questioning a lot of the things that we do without even realising and the effects of these actions.

You know, there are many reasons why I love Fantasy books, one of which is that it's a form of escapism. However dark and/or bleak [enter said world] is, it draws me in and gets me focusing on problems far different from anything to do with my world. Well, this certainly was not that kind of a read.

The Screwtape Letters is a purported collection of 31 letters written by a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew and protégé, a younger demon named, Wormwood. These letters were written for the express purpose of instructing the young demon on the finer points of how to corrupt the human soul, whose name is simply referred to as the "patient", and remains unnamed throughout the story.

One of the fundamental insights of this story is that this Infernal Bureaucracy is founded on the principle of consume or be consumed and it gives us a look into the battle for souls from the other side of the trenches.
Various letters explore the use of subtle distractions. Screwtape heavily emphasizes that the best, most efficient way to fully corrupt the human soul is to do this as subtly as possible rather than frontal attacks, and that Wormwood’s goal is to make the patient believe in the doctrine of Materialism.

These letters are short and concise, written in a way that any reader will be able to relate to many of the temptations that these devils throw at the "patient". Lewis masterfully uses a unique and amusing style of writing to present many of mankind’s greatest weaknesses that we often fall prey to.

This is one of the few books that I’d automatically recommend to everyone. ...more

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Feb 23, 2018 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Young Wormwood is on his very first demonic mission and is at a bit of a loss as to how to do this. There's so many ways to corrupt, but which is the right way to do evil?

Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts...
Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.

Luckily, he has his Uncle Screwtape to consult. Under Screwtape's gentle guidance, Wormwood hopes to bring another soul to their Dark F ...more

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Sep 07, 2015 Nandakishore Varma rated it liked it · review of another edition

To
MR. SOURPUSS
Most Revered Lower Secretary
Ministry of Temptation

Dear Sir,

At the outset, let me express my deep regret at a set of my letters (to my wayward nephew Wormwood) having fallen into the hands of a loyal servant of the Enemy and getting published. I will take the liberty of saying most emphatically that this is not due to any lack of foresight from my part: Your August Person used to know Wormwood, and what a nincompoop he was. I must state with no little pleasure that our current set o ...more

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Apr 04, 2007 Stephanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Searchers who can take it

Let me preface by saying I do not follow any one religious path. I'm a searcher, and I'm not sure if I'll ever settle on one faith. That said, The Screwtape Letters, an intense rumination on good and evil, as told through the letters of one demon to another, is a work I feel everyone should read, if to do nothing but understand the true nature of evil. I'll admit, I picked up the book because I thought a tale told by a demon would be kind of cool... sexy in a dark fun kind of way. The experience ...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Cary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, 2011, favorite

This is my first book of C.S. Lewis outside the Chronicles of Narnia Series. I want to balance my reading list with good, wholesome and inspiring Christian books so I decided to try the works of Lewis and look for an e-book. Fortunately, I was able to find one online so I started with Screwtape Letters.

The Screwtape Letters is a series of letters written by Screwtape, a senior demon, to his nephew and a neophyte tempter, Wormood, about the different ways to tempt a newly converted Christian they This is my first book of C.S. Lewis outside the Chronicles of Narnia Series. I want to balance my reading list with good, wholesome and inspiring Christian books so I decided to try the works of Lewis and look for an e-book. Fortunately, I was able to find one online so I started with Screwtape Letters.

The Screwtape Letters is a series of letters written by Screwtape, a senior demon, to his nephew and a neophyte tempter, Wormood, about the different ways to tempt a newly converted Christian they referred to as "Patient". Their objective is to secure the "Patient's" eternal damnation in hell. In this book, C.S. Lewis tried to describe the spiritual battles between Christians and the forces of evil in a different point of view.

At first, I felt uncomfortable reading the parts where Lewis referred God as "the Enemy" and Satan as the "Father" because being a child of God, I know it's the other way around. But looking at it as a literary piece, this is actually the spice of the story and this what makes the book special to me, that I really can't help but admire Lewis for his wisdom and creativity.

After reading the book, I was really enlightened and reminded of the truths that we humans should believe about God:

1. God loves us and He does not want anyone of us to perish but He wants us to have eternal life with Him and so He his Son to die for us and pay for our sins (John 3:16). In order to have eternal life, we have to accept Jesus in our life and believe that He is our Lord and Savior. By dying on on the cross, he redeemed us and provided the forgiveness of our sins - past, present and future.

2. God promised that for us who receive Jesus, He gave the right to be called His Children.No one can separate us from His love thus, our salvation through Jesus is assured and no one can take it away from us, not even Satan.

3. What Satan only wants from every human is to steal, kill and destroy. He is like a lion who is always looking around for prey, ready to devour anytime thus we should always be on guard. He will try all possible means for us to turn away from God.

4. God promised us victory. What Jesus did on the cross is already complete. Because of that, we are victorious in Christ so we have the power to win any battle including spiritual battle with the real Enemy. Therefore, we must not lose hope and stand firm on our faith that God has already given us the holy life through Jesus and all we have to do is to live it and stop doing the things that are not pleasing to Him. This book provided some examples of the unpleasant things that may seem insignificant but can eventually lead to our own destruction because the devil knows how to manipulate our thoughts so we really need to be careful.

5. Of course, the best way to defeat the Enemy is to lay down all our battles to God by praying and petition. The Bible said, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:10-18). This is actually the passage that keeps on popping out of my mind the entire time I was reading the book.

This book only wants to point out that we need to recognize that just like Heaven, Hell is also real and Satan also exists. He is continuously looking for possible "recruits" and deceiving people by suggesting different lies in our minds to keep us from turning to God. But God is loving and gracious. He will never let His children fall if we will only remain in Him. God wants all His children to be reunited with Him in eternity, but sadly, not everyone can go to heaven because not everyone has accepted the Truth. He gave us free will to choose how are we going to live our life here on earth. So in every moment and every action of our lives, we are given two different options: to do His will or to follow our own will? And we need to choose well because one may be the highway to hell.

If you are looking for a book about living a Christian life, then I highly recommend this one but of course living a holy life according to God's standard can only be achieved if we continuously seek to know our Creator an Savior more through reading his written Word. ...more

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Sep 01, 2020 Fergus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I read this as a green young kid in the summer of 1963.

I was thirteen.

I was amused by it, but not forewarned by it -

Bemused by the Screwtapian segues into coolness - but not, unfortunately, convicted of my obviously myopic venial sin in my confusion.

Sound familiar?

I now need a reread.

Desperately.

This is NOT a comic novel.

If you think it is, you ultimately don’t know if you’re punched, bored or reamed.

You must UNLEARN your myopia - before it’s Too Late.

I’m serious.

Perhaps you don’t know you’ ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Seemita rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Faith Testers

Shelves: conversations, favorites, philo, fiction, ireland, humor, sharp_sword, religion, epislotary

Where do I begin unloading this colossal bag of thoughts that are raging in my mind since yesterday? Well, my friend, you seem to be the victim today. So be it. Don’t term me evil; it is just the scent of one, I lived with for the last five days.

Actually, this work is hardly anything except for a bunch of letters, from a senior to a junior; it is nothing more than a series of succinct correspondence, gathered cannily and disbursed even more astutely to the promising newbies. Now, have we all not Where do I begin unloading this colossal bag of thoughts that are raging in my mind since yesterday? Well, my friend, you seem to be the victim today. So be it. Don’t term me evil; it is just the scent of one, I lived with for the last five days.

Actually, this work is hardly anything except for a bunch of letters, from a senior to a junior; it is nothing more than a series of succinct correspondence, gathered cannily and disbursed even more astutely to the promising newbies. Now, have we all not rubbed shoulders with atleast once such genial senior in our lives? Incidentally, this exchange happens to be between Uncle Screwtape and Wormwood who, well, under a generous dignity granted by Lewis, call themselves “Tempters”; I refer to them as Devil (Spirit). And they are up against “Him”; the one who lives in the churches and to whom the world attributes its goodness and life.

Essentially, this work chalks out some theories on how the Devil should lure the “patient” or the human, away from his allegiance towards "Him" and secure him firm and consistent with himself.

This very concept takes my bow for it takes a lot to stand on both sides and view a situation without apathy or bias. In this deliciously curated work, the satire, the cynic, the comic and the subtle; all find place, and rightfully so. As for Screwtape, the breaking fragments of the world and the striking resemblance it holds to a colored hoax, is the doing of “Him”, and so he takes the fundamental ingredients of daily life like belief, love, marriage, gluttony, cowardice, fidelity, freedom, unselfishness and ownership and holds them, not aloft, instead face down. Screwtape draws sinister pleasure in observing the perpetual longing of the human to be star-struck about future and in the process, losing the all-important, all-pervasive present. He also makes a mockery of prevalent falsities in society where something as harmless as jazz can chain its women to strive for svelte figures at the expense of vitality; something as uplifting as art and fresco can underline the derisive palpability of nudity. He also takes a dig at the preconceived notions of love and marriage and the obtuse manner in which the happening of one is regarded as a prerequisite for justification of the other.

He basks in the hackneyed idea of ownership that drives the callous human. He spells it eloquently:

“It is as if a royal child whom his father has placed for love’s sake, in titular command of some great province, under the real rule of wise counselors, should come to fancy he really owns the cities, the forests, and the corn, in the same way as he owns the bricks on the nursery floor.”

This book is a goldmine of veiled satire and I chuckled at the expressions, if not always at the latent intentions. Most of, what I call lyrical sarcasm, emanates from the failures of Wormwood and the wise senior never fails to pull him up. While explaining him the nuances of “Unselfishness”, he says:

“A woman means by Unselfishness chiefly taking trouble for others; a man means not giving trouble to others." And he suffixes it with, “She’s sort of woman who lived for others – you can always tell the others by their hunted expression.”

However, for all the chinks in “His” armour that Screwtape so vehemently drills into Wormwood’s head, there are certain things he himself cannot fathom and hence, cannot overcome. He admits that the power of love, which flows freely from “His” altar, is a puzzle Evil’s years of research have failed to crack. It is a kind of impregnable shield; a sort of ultimate immunity. The simple pleasures of life like reading a book, drinking tea or taking a stroll uplifts humans’ spirits to such insurmountable levels that reaching them becomes a distant dream; conquering them, then, gets out of question. There is also an all-numbing admission of “His” influence when Screwtape writes,
“As you ought to have known, the asphyxiating cloud which prevented your attacking the patient on his walk back from the old mill, is a well-known phenomenon. It is the Enemy’s most barbarous weapon, and generally appears when He is directly present to the patient under certain modes not yet fully classified. Some humans are permanently surrounded by it and therefore inaccessible to us.”
I am not giving away what culminates at the end, not because it would foil interest but because it is not significant.

The picture that Lewis paints by the time he puts his last stroke, is a mélange of ideas which although tilted to project one side as glorious, does not undermine the merits on the other. It is more of a congregation of two schools of thought on a line where students (and teachers) can change side at any instant. Even for a believer in Supreme Power, I paused at many points and examined the validity of the arguments earnestly. Let me say all said was not lost.

Thank you, C S Lewis; I realized I was not all that wood after all.

---

Patting the impact this work created, Time Magazine featured Lewis on its cover, five years post publication of this work, with a, Devil of course! :D

September 8, 1947

...more

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Oct 26, 2016 Iryna *Book and Sword* rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Feb 23 , 2018
I just picked this up again to read through some of my highlights.
I also wanted to mention that this book is dedicated to J.R.R.Tolkien. One of the biggest literary influences dedicating his book to another one of biggest literary influences, who also happens to be his friend. If that doesn’t warm your bookish heart I don’t know what will.
__________________________________________________

I will be honest, this was not the easiest read. While the book itself is quite small, the ol ...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Wendy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I didn't particularly enjoy this book but am glad that I read it. In fact, at times the book made my skin crawl. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a bunch of letters from a tempter, Uncle Screwtape, to his nephew, a tempter in training, named Wormwoood. Screwtape tutors Wormwood on how to tempt the "patient" he is assigned. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about how the adversary tempts us. What is poignant is that the cunning and evil plans I didn't particularly enjoy this book but am glad that I read it. In fact, at times the book made my skin crawl. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a bunch of letters from a tempter, Uncle Screwtape, to his nephew, a tempter in training, named Wormwoood. Screwtape tutors Wormwood on how to tempt the "patient" he is assigned. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about how the adversary tempts us. What is poignant is that the cunning and evil plans are not centered around obvious sins, that so often are what we think about when we think about temptation and sin. Instead, the tempters focus on much more subtle sins such as vanity, pride, distraction,insincerity, forgetting or being too tired say prayers,and how these can achieve the same goal as the more obvious sins which is ultimately to lead us away from God. That's how cunning and evil the devil is. He knows that by chipping away a little at a time he has a better chance at gaining us as his own.

You cannot read this book and not think of how pertinent it is to your life. It was a little frightening to find myself in the book as someone who has succumbed to some of these suttle temptations (many times). Perhaps thats why I didn't enjoy the read but still found it very insightful.

I found this "Beatitudes" in someone elses review (Jenelle) and thought it was great so I copied it from her review to mine. Really hit it home for me.

Screwtape Counterfeits
1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians — they are my best workers.
2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked — I can use them.
3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church — they are my missionaries.
4. Blessed are the trouble makers — they shall be called my children.
5. Blessed are the complainers — I'm all ears to them.
6. Blessed are those who are bored with the minister's mannerisms and mistakes — for they get nothing out of his sermons.
7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church — for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.
8. Blessed are those who gossip — for they shall cause strife and division that please me.
9. Blessed are those who are easily offended — for they will soon get angry and quit.
10. Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God's work — for they are my helpers.
11. Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister — for he shall be with me forever.
12. Blessed are you who, when you read this, think it is about other people and not yourself — I've got you too!
...more

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Jul 21, 2015 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: subtly-snarky-narrator, angels-and-demons, catholic-thought, first-person-snarkfest, adult, christianity, fantasy, spirituality-and-religion, unreliable-narrator, villain-protagonist

With infatiguable British wit and the king of unreliable narrators, C.S. Lewis harrows Hell to tell us how a demon’s mind works in The Screwtape Letters.

Years ago I thought this book was about possession, but it turns out to be far more concerned with that nagging little voice inside us that makes us mistrust our friends and family, encourages regrettable decisions, and makes us feel alone, adrift from our fellows and from God.

Screwtape is a masterfully written character, revealed as much but w ...more

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Oct 02, 2016 Natalie Vellacott rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction

Okay...so I've probably tried to read this book at least ten times over the years and never actually finished it. I started the book again this week and even tried the audio version by John Cleese on Youtube--didn't get very far as I kept thinking about Fawlty Towers, which I happened to have watched relatively recently, and therefore couldn't take him seriously as a devil.

I'm now analysing what it is about this book that I don't like as I usually know straight away. I'm wondering if I'm not suf Okay...so I've probably tried to read this book at least ten times over the years and never actually finished it. I started the book again this week and even tried the audio version by John Cleese on Youtube--didn't get very far as I kept thinking about Fawlty Towers, which I happened to have watched relatively recently, and therefore couldn't take him seriously as a devil.

I'm now analysing what it is about this book that I don't like as I usually know straight away. I'm wondering if I'm not sufficiently intelligent for the mental gymnastics required to see things from a demonic perspective. That does seem to be one of the stumbling blocks as I examine and re-read each sentence carefully reminding myself that I'm now Screwtape and that he is bad which means that everything is reversed.....But is that the key issue--my non-Lewis like brain power?

I mean, I should like this book for all the obvious reasons--it's meant to raise awareness of Satan's work, prevent Christians from falling to temptation, encourage Christians that God is more powerful and that the demons know it etc etc. So what exactly is my problem?

I guess I don't like the idea of a Christian author putting himself into character as the devil--apparently Lewis himself felt uncomfortable, maybe with good reason. I think the humourous, satirical approach undermines the deadly serious subject matter--the battle between good and evil is eternal life and death for all people whether they acknowledge it or not. Maybe Screwtape (despite the author being at pains to avoid this,) will still remind people of caricatures of the horned devil in a red-suit with a pitchfork as he rubs his hands together gleefully whilst composing his letters to Wormwood. Is that a helpful image considering the subject matter?

John Cleese recently stated that he didn't think much of organized religion and told he was not committed to "anything except the vague feeling that there is something more going on than the materialist reductionist people think." The fact that Cleese, a secular comedian and atheist (or at least agnostic) was able to read The Screwtape Letters aloud and find it amusing without apparently being convicted by its content probably speaks volumes more than I could write.

Oh, maybe I do know why I don't like this book after all. I think I will just accept that now and stop attempting to read it. ...more

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Sep 24, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, favorites, classics, christian-theology

Fantastic book! C. S. Lewis' first "novel" (actually Pilgrim's regress was first but it's a rather oblique allegory). It was and still is a best seller. I can recommend it to Christians and non-Christians alike. It's full of (yes I know it's a cliche, but here it's just true) "wit and wisdom". You'll see yourself and everyone else you've ever known well. You'll see situations that come up in everyday life. I recommend it highly!

This is probably my second favorite novel by Lewis...after The Great ...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Lyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,...Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.”

The classic correspondence between the fiend Screwtape and his diabolical nephew Wormwood.

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. ”

Entertaining and original, and also thought provoking.

description

...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Jason Koivu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, humor

More fun and playful than I'd anticipated.

As a platform upon which to discuss his beliefs and thoughts on theology, government, society and the nature of mankind in general, C.S. Lewis constructed The Screwtape Letters, an epistolary novel in the form of instructive letters from senior demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a sort of demonic trainee. For all intents and purposes, they are lectures, but lectures jazzed up and made more palatable for the student's mind.

It was about 20 years ago ...more

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Jul 15, 2020 Matt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, equinox-book-challenge

It is the great writer who can mix effective satire with the seriousness of religious philosophy. C.S. Lewis seems to be able to do this, while pulling the reader into the discussion on every page. This is a collection of letters, from a senior devil to his lowly nephew who seems eager to get on with the art of luring a man to the side of evil. The elder Screwtape uses his experience to inculcate young Wormwood about the details of winning over a soul and the nuances of doing so without being ca It is the great writer who can mix effective satire with the seriousness of religious philosophy. C.S. Lewis seems to be able to do this, while pulling the reader into the discussion on every page. This is a collection of letters, from a senior devil to his lowly nephew who seems eager to get on with the art of luring a man to the side of evil. The elder Screwtape uses his experience to inculcate young Wormwood about the details of winning over a soul and the nuances of doing so without being caught. The complexities of corruption take patience and determination, requiring a great understanding of how to decipher prayer, devotion, and love that humans seem prone to use when putting their emotional and spiritual lives on the line. With a grasp of these sentiments, the treacherous being can lure the subject to the side of evil and help spread the word to others. With that cleared up, a deeper discussion about the need to infiltrate the foundational sentiments espoused at church becomes central to success before the most daunting discussion of democracy and how it is ruining the ease of corrupting others. Screwtape reacts repeatedly to Wormwood’s progress, at times praising him, but never shying away from criticism for a job poorly done. With the future of the world’s souls on the line, there is no time like the present to forge ahead or face eternal ridicule. Will Screwtape be able to create a wonderful new fiend of his nephew? Might Wormwood feel that the effort is too much for him and stray to the ‘evils of purity’? These letters tell quite a story for all those involved. An interesting piece of tongue in cheek writing from another age, but with timeless application to today’s sinning public. Recommended to those who can laugh at religious indoctrination and its sarcastic downfalls, as well as those who enjoy the work of C.S. Lewis.

I know that this book has been on my radar for a long time, but I never got around to reading it. With a reading challenge before me seeking a unique approach to communicating, I though that this would be the ideal pick. This brief collection of letters from Screwtape to Wormwood offers not only a great analysis of organised religion and the means by which souls are placed firmly in one column or the other, but it also permits Lewis to explore the struggle from a more academic and philosophical angle. While this does occur throughout, there is an underlying sense of sarcasm and mockery that the attentive reader will see. These letters are unidirectional, from Screwtape to his nephew, so it is almost a monologue on the subject, rather than allowing the reader to see young Wormwood’s own sentiments and reactions, something that might have added more depth to the piece. Then again, who am I to argue with C.S. Lewis? The letters are brief in their content and on point in subject matter, allowing the reader to feel a succinct understanding of the topics at hand. As Lewis notes in the introduction, there is no real chronology to the letters either, though some surely work in a better order than others. This was surely an entertaining read and I encourage anyone with some time and interest to tackle this collection of letters, if only to say that they took the plunge.

Kudos, Mr. Lewis, for a great piece that kept me thinking throughout.

This book fulfils Topic #3: Share of the Equinox #11 Reading Challenge.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Rowena rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christian, favorites

I loved this book! It's a collection of letters written by a senior demon (Uncle Screwtape) to his nephew, junior demon (Wormwood). Wormwood is assigned a young man to tempt and the letters turn into a kind of study on how spiritual warfare works. I've always heard that C.S. Lewis was a great Christian apologist, and now I see why. This book gave me so much to think about. I think it's the kind of book you have to read at least twice to really appreciate the gems of wisdom. So glad I finally got ...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Tina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian, literary-fiction, 2011, ebooks

Original post at One More Page

Ah Screwtape. I've heard so much about this book but I never got to buy it because the print copy was just too expensive for something so thin. I remember splurging on the ebook instead a couple of months ago, but true to form, it took me a while to read this. I know a Lewis book is never easy reading. What better time to read this one than during the Lenten season, right?

The Screwtape Letters is an epistolary novella that contains the letters of a demon Screwta Original post at One More Page

Ah Screwtape. I've heard so much about this book but I never got to buy it because the print copy was just too expensive for something so thin. I remember splurging on the ebook instead a couple of months ago, but true to form, it took me a while to read this. I know a Lewis book is never easy reading. What better time to read this one than during the Lenten season, right?

The Screwtape Letters is an epistolary novella that contains the letters of a demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood with detailed advice on how to lead his assignment, a man only named as "the patient" to sin and eventual eternal damnation. In these letters, Screwtape tells Wormwood of particular human weaknesses and how they can exploit it, of religious weaknesses and how to make it their patient's downfall, of how they're just not in it for general mischief but snatching human souls from their Enemy.

I was discussing this book with a friend a few days before I finished reading it, and he told me that while he liked the book, he didn't have the heart to review it because it struck too many familiar chords. I could say the same for me, too. The Screwtape Letters is almost humorous in some ways, especially whenever Screwtape would scold Wormwood for messing up, but it's more chilling in more ways than it is humorous. Screwtape outlined ways on how Wormwood could lead his patient to eternal damnation, and the ways he listed were a little too familiar that it borders on being uncomfortable. I admit that it really made me think of the times when I fell for the same things -- the feeling of "owning" my time that I get mad at any interruption, or worrying too much about tomorrow instead of focusing on today, self-righteous thinking. This book poked a little too much at the parts of my heart that I try to not look at, and helped me see myself for all the ugliness with all the sin that I've fallen into. I remember cringing as I highlighted the parts of the book that struck me the most, like these:

It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out. (p. 16)

There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the Enemy. He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them. (p. 25)

It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one -- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. (p. 60)

Now you will notice that nothing throws him into a passion so easily as to find a tract of time which he reckoned on having at his own disposal unexpectedly taken from him...They anger him because he regards his time as his and feels that it is being stolen. (p. 112)

It's not that this book is not without hope -- in fact, it ends quite hopefully. But seeing it in the eyes of the "protagonists" it doesn't feel like it. This book is not really for fast reading -- each letter is meant to be read slowly and reflected on, maybe even discussed with other people of faith. Like other Lewis books, I think The Screwtape Letters is one for re-reading, because I'm sure different passages would hit people depending on what is the state of their life when they read this.

Of course, this is still considered as fiction, but like all other Lewis books I've read, it's one that made me think. I can't help but remember Ephesians 6:12 as I read this book: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The Screwtape Letters is a book that definitely needs to be read more than once. ...more

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Mar 03, 2018 Bradley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-shelf, humor, satire

Satire.

Well, it's not for everyone, but considering that this was meant for uptight Christian prigs from 50 years ago, it's pretty good and timeless.

Enter Satan, AKA Screwtape, and listen to him extolling or deriding his demon nephew on the virtues of corrupting his human charge.

It's okay! Some of it is really funny and some of it just feels dated. But we need to put this kind of thing in its proper time and audience. The points are still valid but the people they're about are all dead. :) ... w ...more

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Sep 01, 2013 Christopher rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: satire, theological-fiction

The Screwtape Letters is essentially a work of Christian Apologetics written as a satire. The premise is that a series of letters are being written by a master "tempter", Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, while he is trying to lead the life of a Christian, called the patient, astray. Like any work of Christian Apologetics, it is clear the intended audience is people who are already Christian and its purpose is to reinforce the beliefs that its audience already has about Christianity and provi ...more

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Apr 21, 2015 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really really like this book. It's such an interesting perspective on Christianity and CS Lewis is a phenomenal story teller! I listened to the audiobook for part of this read, narrated by John Cleese, and I would highly recommend it. He is such an amazing narrator! ...more

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Nov 10, 2016 Jon Nakapalau rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: religion, favorites, classics

This book helped open my eyes...how often do we become distracted by the actor and not the act? If a script is written you still have to agree to follow it a an actor...but no one can force you to read lines you do not want to.

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Mar 20, 2011 Shovelmonkey1 rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone training to be the mildest mannered of devils

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: my friend almost Dr Holly Miller

Shelves: bookcrossing-books, read-in-2011

*slightly ashamed face and twisting of foot in the dirt*
So I didn't actually finish this book. I was looking forward to reading it and it has been on my bookcrossing wishlist for a while but when it finally arrived I found that the anticipation had outweighed the the delivery of the end product to such an extent that I gave up. Shame on me? Well maybe.

I read all the Narnia novels when I was a child and my parents never told me that it was all metaphorical, allegorical and many other -als for Ch *slightly ashamed face and twisting of foot in the dirt*
So I didn't actually finish this book. I was looking forward to reading it and it has been on my bookcrossing wishlist for a while but when it finally arrived I found that the anticipation had outweighed the the delivery of the end product to such an extent that I gave up. Shame on me? Well maybe.

I read all the Narnia novels when I was a child and my parents never told me that it was all metaphorical, allegorical and many other -als for Christianity. This seems like a strange oversight as my mother used to go to Church every Sunday and she had read the Narnia series too so I'm assuming that she must have picked up on it. My Dad only went to church because he was made to go and he liked to sing hymns really badly, loudly and out of tune to amuse myself and my sister. This amusement was only normally surpassed by the arrival of the Vicar from the wings.

I believe the hidden bit at the side of the church is actually called the vestry, but church was always like a sort of theatre for me with people dressing up and fulfilling roles not always truly representative of their actual selves. The Vicar himself was not overtly funny but the fact that he looked exactly like Alan Rickman provided me with great scope for reciting endless chunks of script from Die Hard which was then, and still is now one of my favourite films.

The Screwtape letters are a series of epistles sent down (or up, I suppose) from a Senior Devil, instructing a more Junior Devil on the art of temptation in order to bring about the downfall of one specific individual who they call "the patient". The cover of the book shows an ugly gargoyle style grotesque, presumably as a representation of the devil. It strikes me that should demons and devils choose to pretty themselves up and present a more aesthetically appealing canvas then they would probably have a lot more success. Note to Satan: if you recruited your tempters and temptresses at Hooters, the Playboy mansion and wherever Daniel Craig and Jensen Ackles hang out, then you'd probably increase your success rate quite noticeably. Jensen I will do whatever you tell me to. That goes for you too Daniel.

While CS Lewis tries quite seriously to highlight in the letters, the areas in which sin can accidentally come upon us, the general tone is a little to meek and mild but that can probably be attributed to the period in which CS Lewis was writing. When it came down to it there just was not enough devilment for my liking (I suspect Screwtape would find me to be an all too easy convert).

On reflection I'm not really sure why I would have expected stories of unparalleled lusts and evil from the man who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia; those cuddly childhood tales of resurected (christ-like) lions and snowy wardrobe strewn landscapes where turkish delight is the equivalent currency to 30 pieces of silver. I am sure Senior devil, Screwtape, is offering sage advice to the trainee tempter Wormwood but his letters were too amiable and samey and without enough fire and brimstone to hold my attention. ...more

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May 28, 2019 Lila Kims rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This one's a life-changer. ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Cori rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: faith, i-own

Topsy-turvy. Caddywampus. Nefarious. Thought provoking. The Screwtape Letters are a compilation of letters written from an uncle to his nephew. And oh, yeah, they're demons.

C.S. Lewis said, had the book been any longer, and he hadn't stopped when he did, that this would have taken a dangerous toll on his mental health and psyche. He also said, in order to be balanced, he should have written a juxtaposition of an archangel writing to his angel nephew. He did not, as he felt he could never be up Topsy-turvy. Caddywampus. Nefarious. Thought provoking. The Screwtape Letters are a compilation of letters written from an uncle to his nephew. And oh, yeah, they're demons.

C.S. Lewis said, had the book been any longer, and he hadn't stopped when he did, that this would have taken a dangerous toll on his mental health and psyche. He also said, in order to be balanced, he should have written a juxtaposition of an archangel writing to his angel nephew. He did not, as he felt he could never be up to the task, feeling that a human comprehension of evil was much more realistic than that of angels.

I loved this book. It was unsettling in the most appropriate ways.

"One of their poets, Coleridge, has reported that he did not pray 'with moving lips and bended knees' but merely 'composed his spirit to love' and 'indulged a sense of supplication.' That is exactly the sort of prayer we want; and since it bears a superficial resemblance to the prayer of silence as practiced by those who are very advanced in the Enemy's service, clever and lazy patients can be taken in by it for quite a long time."

"It is funny how mortals always picture us putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out ."

"The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him and towards themselves. Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by action of their own wills. When they meant to ask Him for charity, let them, instead, start trying to manufacture charitable feelings towards themselves and not notice that this is what they are doing. When they meant to pray for courage, let them really be trying to feel brave. When they say they are praying for forgiveness, let them be trying to feel forgiven. Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by their success in producing the desired feeling; and never let them suspect how much success or failure of that kind depends on whether they are well or ill, fresh or tired, in that moment."

"But the obedience the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth...We want cattle who can finally become food. He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled. He is full and flows over."

"The deepest likings or impulses of any man are the raw material- the starting point- with which the enemy has furnished him."

"The future is, of all things, the least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time-- for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays."

"And since they need change, the enemy (being a hedonist at heart) has made change pleasurable to them, just as He has made eating pleasurable. But since He does not wish them to make change, any more than eating, an end in itself, He has balanced the love of change in them by a love of permanence. He has contrived to gratify both tastes together in the very world He has made, by that movement of change and permanence which we call Rhythm. He gives them the seasons, each season different yet every year the same, so that spring is always felt as a novelty yet always as the recurrence of an immemorial theme."

I'd rate this book a PG. ...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Stephen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 1930-1953, to-re-read, fantasy, ebooks, religion-spirituality, angels-demons-heaven-hell, humor-and-satire, on-deck-next

3.0 stars. I was a little baffled by this book as I went into it thinking it was supposed to be humorous. Apart from a few places where I believe the author was trying to evoke a laugh, I did not come away from this thinking that the author was shooting for funny. Therefore, from that standpoint, the book was a let down. That said, from the standpoint of a serious piece of "Christian fantasy" the book succeeds much better. It is very well written and the arguments used by the writer to explain m ...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Jonathan Terrington rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: to-read-classics, scifi-fan-challenge-2014, c-s-lewis, favourites, faith, classic-literature, fantasy, classics-challenge-3, own

I began The Screwtape Letters many years ago and only ever managed to begin three or so pages of it before finding the style too difficult for my younger self. It is a sign to me, therefore, of my development as an individual and reader, that I was able to sit down this afternoon and finish it off in two sessions.

The Screwtape Letters is perhaps, C.S. Lewis' most nuanced and subtle work. Through providing a narrative that covers advice from a senior devil to his junior nephew, Lewis explores iss ...more

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C.S. Lewis

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Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge ...more