2013 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of C.S. Lewis, and although his writings remain as influential as ever--Lewis himself remains--for many of his biggest fans-- somewhat of an enigma.
Lewis' legacy is as vast as it is varied. He was a towering intellectual figure with impeccable academic credentials and yet a popular novelist for both children and adults publishing both The Chronicles of Narnia and his Space Trilogy. Lewis was also an accomplished apologist and advocate of the Christian faith and completed numerous timeless classics such as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and The Four Loves along with a host of other books, stories, and insightful essays.
In C.S. Lewis: A Life, renowned historian and former Oxford professor Alister McGrath paints a definitive and comprehensive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. McGrath combines crisp prose with a highly informative but accessible narrative that highlights every corner of Lewis' often obscure world from his days as an introverted child spending endless hours reading and imagining to his ascension to fame as a British novelist. Lewis' complex relationships with his brother, father, Joy Davidman, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Inklings are all examined in detail as is recently discovered personal correspondence. But McGrath also delves into Lewis' psyche and his faith, reexamines his conversion in light of new evidence, and brings the entire story together in a biography that N.T. Wright has called 'A penetrating and illuminating study'.
C.S. Lewis has, perhaps, influenced more Christians than any other modern writer. But there is so much more to the man than his writings. There is a remarkable story within the storyteller. Alister McGrath tells that story with precision, honesty, and humor.
