I've counted around 8 biographies written about C.S. Lewis...and that is not counting the ones my children were required to read for their junior high book reports. I've read 3 of the 8 biographies and I must say it is important to read more than one biography about a person.
When I read C.S. Lewis: A biography by A.N.Wilson it definitely was not the C.S. Lewis of whom I had come to know over the years. There were certain premises which Wilson made in the book which I did not agree with. Not because I felt he was doing an injustice to a hero of mine, but more because they didn't seem to ring true to what I knew in all the C.S. Lewis books I had read. (One of the classes I took in University was a class totally dedicated to C.S. Lewis and his books...all we had to do was read every single one of his books and discuss them and write papers about them. What a marvelous class.)
Jack's Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis by Douglas Gresham gives a totally different image of C.S. Lewis. Of course, this is a more sentimental view of Lewis, since it is written by his step son. Some might say it is almost a biased view; however, I would contend that Douglas Gresham must have seen the 'whole' Lewis...living with him...he saw faults and all...and yet, he was able to write a glowing biography of the man he admired.
Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis by George Sayer is a look at Lewis by a close friend. This was not just a friend of a few years, George was Lewis' friend for more than 29 years. This biography of C.S. Lewis is well documented.
Most people only know C.S. Lewis as the author of the Narnia Series. He wrote many books and articles. Amazon has an 'almost' complete list of the books he wrote. My top two favorite books written by C.S. Lewis are "Mere Christianity" and "The Screw tape Letters" (I debated on whether to include 'The Great Divorce'- but then I opted for "The Screw Tape Letters"). My least favorite C.S. Lewis books is his Space Trilogy. Although I did lumber through them, I would never want to read them again (as opposed to his other books which I have read several times).
What is your favorite C.S. Lewis book? Or your least favorite?
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Nice post Anjuli. A balanced view point
ReplyDelete@A- have you read any of the C.S. Lewis' books- was keen to know what was your favorite (if you have read any)
ReplyDeleteyes its good to read more biographies
ReplyDeletehave not read CS Lewis in a while -- but from memory I'd agree with you about The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity. your post has also got me thinking about what it might to like to write a biography of a longtime friend.
ReplyDelete@ Kerry- I think it would be challenging to write a biography about a long time friend- I mean you know so much and thus it would make it difficult to be neutral - or objective. Were you planning on writing a biography of a longtime friend?
ReplyDelete@ Sm - I love reading biographies- autobiographies- memoirs
I rather enjoyed the Space Trilogy. I found Lewis' ability to step outside the human viewpoint very powerful and nicely accomplished. It was something seldom explored in many other books. Even if the drama aspect was more pedestrian than usual, perhaps this is necessary to accomplish such a different perspective without losing the reader.
ReplyDeleteGreat post thanks.
ReplyDelete