C S Lewis: A biography of friendship

by Colin Duriez

Overview

An Oxford student of C.S. Lewis's said he found his new tutor interesting, and was told by J.R.R. Tolkien, 'Interesting? Yes, he's certainly that. You'll never get to the bottom of him.' You can learn a great deal about people by their friends and nowhere is this more true than in the case of C.S. Lewis, the remarkable academic, author, populariser of faith - and creator of Narnia. He lost his mother early in life, and became estranged from his father, much to his regret. Throughout his life, key relationships mattered deeply to him, from his early days in the north of Ireland and his schooldays in England, as still a teenager in the trenches of World War One, and then later in Oxford. The friendships he cultivated throughout his life proved to be vital, influencing his thoughts, his beliefs and his writings. What did Arthur Greeves, a life-long friend from his adolescence, bring to him? How did J.R.R. Tolkien, and the other members of the now famous Inklings, shape him? Why, in his early twenties, did he move in with a single mother twice his age, Janie Moore, and live with her for so many years until her death? And why did he choose to marry so late? What of the relationship with his alcoholic and gifted brother, who eventually joined his unusual household? In this sparkling new biography, which draws on material not previously published, Colin Duriez brings C.S. Lewis and his friendships to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745955872
Publisher:	Lion Hudson
Publication date:	04/19/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Colin Duriez is an expert on C.S. Lewis, his writings and also his widercircle. He is also the author of the popular biography C.S. Lewis: A biography of friendship and J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend (both published by Lion Hudson). He has also written widely on other aspects ofLewis, Tolkien and the other members of the Inklings, and has contributed to conferences, lectures, DVDs and documentaries on these subjects.

Table of Contents

Preface 7

1 A Northern Irish Childhood 11

2 Schooldays and Arthur Greeves:. Watford, Belfast, and Malvern 28

3 "The Great Knock": Bookham, Surrey 43

4 Oxford and France: "This is What War is Like…" 56

5 Student Days: Oxford, and Mrs Janie Moore 71

6 The Aspiring Poet and Scholar in Hard Times: The Inspiration of Owen Barfield 83

7 The Young Don: Meeting J.R.R. Tolkien 101

8 The Most Reluctant Convert 117

9 The Company of Friends 135

10 Storytelling and Reflections: Through the Changing Thirties with Tolkien 151

11 The Wartime Years and After: Enter Charles Williams 168

12 A New Era and a Change of Strategy: The Narnia Factor 187

13 The Surprising American: Mrs Joy Davidman Gresham 202

14 Leaving the Shadowlands 216

A Brief Chronology 222

Notes 228

Select Bibliography 241

Index 248

Editorial Reviews

"In a graceful, sympathetic, and appealing dual biography, Duriez stresses their influences on one another and the depths of their friendship."  —Booklist on Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

From the Publisher