Customer Reviews

Inklings

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C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were two of the most innovative and popular authors of our century. They, and other, less popular authors (e.g. Charles Williams, Owen Barfield) were friends, and met regularly at Oxford to read their new works aloud to each other, and to criticize each others' work (as well as to smoke, drink and goof off). The Screwtape Letters and the Lord of the Rings were developed in this forum. Carpenter, like no other biographer I know of, captures the group spirit of these geniuses, giving the reader exciting insights into their influences upon each other, and into their fascinating, strange lives. Particularly interesting is Carpenter's account of the spiritual dimension of these men -- especially Lewis, who converted from staunch atheism to a devout Christianity under the influence of Tolkien and Barfield (among others). I recommend this book to any lover of the above-mentioned authors. I think it would also be of interest to many lovers of fantasy, and to any Christian with a literary bent.

If you're interested in the history and lives of famous 20th century authors, this book is definitely for you. "The Inklings" is a delightful peek into the world of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, retelling the lives of several great authors. Among these are C.S. Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia series; J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "The Lord of the Rings"; Charles Williams, a somewhat less noticed author now a days; and many others.

The group consisted of a rather small membership, but the ideas and input that the men gave to each other in regards to their writing probably turned out to be invaluable by the time their works were ready for publication. It was to the Inklings that Lewis first read his "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe", and Tolkien his "Lord of the Rings" which the group simply called "The Hobbit Book".

This has been the best biography I've found on this group of writers, and indeed carries more detail about C.S. Lewis than many biographies dedicated solely to him have. The same is true with Tolkien and Williams. Even if you're simply a curious fan, wanting to know a little bit more about the men who created some of the 20th century's finest literature, this book still delivers.

Perhaps the best book to glimpse an overall picture of a world famous literary group that formed at Oxford University, around the era of World War II. The author, Humphrey Carpenter performed an admirable job weaving the highlights of a University literary club dominated by C.S. Lewis, but also including members such as J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams and other lesser known contributors over a span of three decades. Many of the members had literary works in progress and used this group as a sounding board. The members of the Inklings acting as critics. It was in this time period that Charles Williams perfected his poetical style, and Tolkien wrote most of his "Lord of the Rings Trilogy". This group was responsible for the inspiration and final output of many of its member's best works. The author would tell of the member's part within the group and tidbits of their lives outside the group. Humphrey Carpenter, the author has mastered the technique of balancing the highlights of the Inklings as a literary group and also managed to include a little personal background on each of its members. A quick scan of the authors previous works will show that he could do this because he has written about some of the members individually. The reader will feel that in this one book one has gained a true idea of the nature of the Inklings along with a neat biography of some of its members. The Inklings as a group paralleled the life of C.S.Lewis, The group was at the height of its influence when Lewis`s career was at its peak and then as different writing styles became fashionable, members of the group also died or were replaced. This book is worth the read, one sees the spark of an idea formulated by this group later brought out as a book by one of its members.

. . .especially those who have read Humphrey Carpenter's excellent biography of the Master, JRR Tolkien, will be particularly interested in this book. It details the lives and works of "The Inklings"...

The Inklings, who included CS Lewis, Charles Williams, Hugo Dyson, Warren Lewis, Owen Barfield (and later Christopher Tolkien) were a group writers, scholars, and friends who met regularly at the "Eagle and Child" pub in Oxford (as well as in Lewis' rooms at college) once or twice weekly for the best part of 30 years. In this biography can be found many delightful anecdotes concerning these men and the remarkable works of literature they penned.

A 'must-have' for any lettered hobbit.

Realizing that authors are limited and must make choices as to content, this is a fine work on the Inklings. While it focuses on Lewis, Williams, and Tolkien, it does explore other individuals including Warnie Lewis. If you are unfamiliar with the Inklings this is as fine an introduction as you will likely find. If you are an old Lewis, Tolkien or Williams hand, you are likely to learn something new about the relational dynamics of these men, both as a group (the Inklings) and their one-to-one relationships. Carpenter also explores the literary and theological perspectives of this group. The author's previous work on Tolkien was of obvious benefit to this work.

You would think that writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would fit the image we have of most writers. You would think they simply sat down and penned their works, turned them over to an editor and published them. That was hardly the case.

C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams and other friends--all of them scholars--began to meet regularly on Thursday evenings in Lewis's room at Magdalene College at Oxford. These gatherings were to provide sessions for the readings of their works in progress, as well as discussions (not limited to them, but philosophical or otherwise) in an atmosphere which embraced no rules--no agenda. They called themselves "The Inklings." The "regulars" of the group were included C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, Christopher Tolkien, Warren Lewis, Hugo Dyson, Lord David Cecil, Roger Lancelyn Green, Adam Fox, R. A. Havard, J. A. W. Bennett, and Nevill Coghill. There were many less frequent attendees and visitors. They met for almost two decades. Later, they also began to have "pub" meetings at midday on Tuesdays. The Inklings provided a backdrop and the first audiences for some of the famous works we know such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Screwtape Letters, and Lord of the Rings.

This book provides a rare insight into the lives of these men that was not otherwise known. Humphrey Carpenter knew a number of the Inklings and was able to reconstruct the habitual environment surrounding these meetings and recreate their friendships for us.

I recommend this in general to all people who read these authors works, but especially to the lovers of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

I enjoyed this on audio cassettes.

Through the years, I've had numerous friends who've been fascinated/inspired by the life and works of C.S. Lewis. Due to that, I read both Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity while in college. However, I didn't really enjoy them until I reread these works in 2009. I also enjoyed the 1993 film Shadowlands, but didn't have a great interest in learning more about Lewis' life until rather recently. Two issues of Christian History whet my appetite, and I eventually read The Narnian earlier this year. C.S. Lewis not only had a voluminous literary output, but his life itself proved a strong example of Christian faith in action. Yet, how did his books come together?

The Inklings, Humphrey Carpenter's engaging work from 1978, sets out to answer that question. It shows how Lewis benefited greatly from the feedback of others, and how the creator of Narnia conversely aided fellow authors with their respective works. This text also gives the reader helpful insight into how Lewis and Tolkien's philosophical and theological differences led to their regrettable estrangement. It further demonstrates how lesser-known characters, such as Charles Williams, played a role in Lewis' intellectual journey and social life.

If one is looking for extensive biographical information on Tolkien, this is probably not the best place to go. Humphrey Carpenter wrote a much-praised volume about him one year before The Inklings, so Tolkien's interactions with fellow Inklings are a primary focus here. As part of that, the reader does get the feeling that, through his constant encouragement, C.S. Lewis helped to make the Lord of the Rings a reality. In addition, it's later obvious that Tolkien never forgot Lewis' personal and professional contributions to his own life story.

This work is full of other "nuggets" as well, including one chapter devoted to creating a hypothetical Inklings meeting. If you're in the market for a Lewis-related biography, you won't go wrong here.