“The Narnian is thoughtful, intriguing and inspiring—a treasure for Narnia fans, as well as aficionados of fine biography.”—Booklist
The Narnian is unlike other biographies on C. S. Lewis. Author Alan Jacobs seeks a more elusive quarry: an understanding of the way Lewis’s experiences, both direct and literary, formed themselves into patterns―themes that then shaped his thought and writings, especially the stories of Narnia.
Jacobs explores the imagination of C.S. Lewis and the themes and life events that contributed to The Chronicles of Narnia. You’ll read about:
- Lewis’s childhood days in Ireland playing with his brother.
- The horrific experiences of World War I.
- Lewis’s friendships with J. R. R. Tolkien and other members of the “Inklings.”
- His marriage to Joy Davidman.
- Other life experiences that shaped Lewis’s philosophy, theology, and fiction writing.
This biography is for believers and non-believers. As the Minneapolis Star Tribune said, “Jacobs has written a mind-chew of a biography—not only a portrait of a dazzling writer but also a defense of Lewis as a seeker and thinker, a man who embraced and questioned his faith with equal parts pain and zeal.”
The White Witch, Aslan, fauns and talking beasts, centaurs and epic battles between good and evil -- all these have become a part of our collective imagination through the classic volumes of The Chronicles of Narnia. Over the past half century, children everywhere have escaped into this world and delighted in its wonders and enchantments. Yet what we do know of the man who created Narnia? This biography sheds new light on the making of the original Narnian, C. S. Lewis himself.
Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential religious writer of his day. An Oxford don and scholar of medieval literature, he loved to debate philosophy at his local pub, and his wartime broadcasts on the basics of Christian belief made him a celebrity in his native Britain. Yet one of the most intriguing aspects of Clive Staples Lewis remains a mystery. How did this middle-aged Irish bachelor turn to the writing of stories for children -- stories that would become among the most popular and beloved ever written?
Alan Jacobs masterfully tells the story of the original Narnian. From Lewis's childhood days in Ireland playing with his brother, Warnie, to his horrific experiences in the trenches during World War I, to his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien (and other members of the "Inklings"), and his remarkable late-life marriage to Joy Davidman, Jacobs traces the events and people that shaped Lewis's philosophy, theology, and fiction. The result is much more than a conventional biography of Lewis: Jacobs tells the story of a profound and extraordinary imagination. For those who grew up with Narnia, or for those just discovering it, The Narnian tells a remarkable tale of a man who knew great loss and great delight, but who knew above all that the world holds far more richness and meaning than the average eye can see.
"A deeply insightful yet broadly accessible intellectual biography, written in an engaging voice."
