A refreshingly unique look at this extraordinary man, this biography chronologically reconstructs both Lewis's professional and daily lives in astonishing detail, from his childhood in Northern Ireland and his participation in World War I to friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford and his professorship at Cambridge. More than 100 sidebars offer little-known trivia tidbits on the more personal side of Lewis, and cover such topics as the contents of his home library, 10 things he believed about cats, his favorite beers and pubs, and the women and friends in his life. On the professional side, working titles of his books, lectures he gave at Oxford and Cambridge, and his ideas on atheism and idealism are discussed. Essential information on his most popular work, The Chronicles of Narnia, is also addressed, including the meaning of names, the hierarchy, and the kings, queens, animals, and battles in Narnia.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This authoritative daybook (like the biography reviewed below) is neatly timed to the December 9 release of Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia, and filmgoers will be pleased to find informative Narnia background material here. Duriez, who has filled a shelf with such books as The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia and A Field Guide to Narnia, employs an approach not unlike recent Beatles and Monkees day-by-day books: "I go through the years of his life [1898–1963], from birth to death, selecting varied but representative days.... These give vivid insights into the events of his life, his books, his attitudes, sense of fun, wit and wisdom, beliefs and friends." Such entries illuminate Lewis's friendship with Tolkien and his meeting with the "amusingly abrasive New Yorker" who would become his wife. Other entries cover Lewis's science fiction, theological reflections, literary criticism, BBC broadcasts and Tolkien's influence, as this from a 1944 entry: "May 29 (Mon) Tolkien reads the latest two chapters from The Lord of the Rings.... Lewis approves of them with unusual fervor, and is moved to tears by the second chapter." More than 100 sidebars of lists and trivia ("Some Meals in Narnia") offer delightful detours throughout this absorbing cradle-to-grave chronology. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Colin Duriez is a well-known authority on C.S. Lewis, and the author of The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia, A Field Guide to Narnia, and Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. He frequently lectures on both radio and television about the author's life and works. Brian Sibley is the author of C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands, and The Lord of the Rings: Making the Movie Triology.
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More About the Author
Colin Duriez is based in Keswick in north-west England and writes books, edits and lectures. He has appeared as a commentator on extended version film DVDs of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, the 'Royal' 4 DVD set of Walden/Disney's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Sony DVD Ringers about Tolkien fandom and the impact of Tolkien on popular culture. He has also participated in documentaries on PBS and the BBC. He is also a part-time tutor at Lancaster University.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but confusing to read,
By Mama Watsioni (New Port Richey, FL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The C.S. Lewis Chronicles: The Indispensable Biography of the Creator of Narnia Full of Little-Known Facts, Events and Miscellany (Paperback)
The shape of this biography is certainly distinctive. I found the combination of chronological entries with "sidebars" about different aspects of Lewis's life awkward. I did learn more about Warren Lewis, Jack's brother, than I had ever known before, especially regarding his abilities as an author. Other bios had concentrated on Warren's alcoholism without showing his assets.
I think that this biography falls more into the category of a reference item. The arrangement makes it easy to look up events in particular years, but there is no subject index, which, in my opinion, is detrimental. I have read "Surprised by Joy", Lewis's own account of his early life, as well as the A. N. Wilson and Alan Jacobs biographies, and I read the Chad Walsh, "C.S. Lewis, Apostle to the Skeptics" when I was first devouring Lewis's works. Each one has its good and bad points, and this one is certainly worth reading
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good, blog-style biography,
By
This review is from: The C.S. Lewis Chronicles: The Indispensable Biography of the Creator of Narnia Full of Little-Known Facts, Events and Miscellany (Paperback)
The latest biography from C.S. Lewis scholar Colin Duriez impresses me as a blog-style work. It does not have a flowing narrative which attempts to tell the story of Lewis' life or, worse, attempts to reveal "the secret" of his success. It has the feel of third-person diary.
Duriez offers many details from Lewis' life in the chronological order they occurred with few contextual notes from the past or present. Each chapter is labeled with the years it covers, and after several paragraphs introducing those years, the biography flows according to the date. He includes plenty of historical context in each section, noting the deaths and births of pertinent individuals and events of that year, which may be valuable to literature students who need to be reminded no author writes in a vacuum. The CSL Chronicles has other context too, lists mostly. For example, the January 31, 1919, entry notes: "This evening, upon invitation, Lewis joins a literary and debating society of the college, the Martlets, as secretary. Membership is limited to twelve." For context, an explanation of the Martlets with a list of papers delivered by Lewis to the group is on the following page, including this note: "There was another but short-lived undergraduate society, called the `Inklings'; in the 1930s its name was transferred to the later famous circle of friends around Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis and Tolkien did attend the original undergraduate `Inklings,' but only as invited dons." Duriez leaves many details unwritten, perhaps an irritation to readers who already know a good bit about Lewis; but I think this biography is respectably complete. I know I've learned some things (but this is also my first Lewis biography to read). For instance, I was disturbed when I learned earlier this year about sadism in Lewis' letters before 1918, but a note in The C.S. Lewis Chronicles suggests it is evidence of the impact of the abuse Lewis suffered while in boarding school under the care of madman. Such perversion was a part of his imagination as it were. I recommend this small, fragmented biography to readers interested in Lewis or his Oxford friends. I think it would be especially useful to trivia fans.
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: The C.S. Lewis Chronicles: The Indispensable Biography of the Creator of Narnia Full of Little-Known Facts, Events and Miscellany (Paperback)
Duriez's book lives up what the subtitle claims, giving "little known facts, events and miscellany about the life of C. S. Lewis. Not only does he cover Lewis' life year by year with details about as many days as possible, but the book also has "sidebars" that gives summaries about various aspect of his life and/or writings along the way.While the format is somewhat like a diary, most entries are short and to the point and help you see how Lewis grew as a person and in his faith once he became a Christian.
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