Jack: C.S. Lewis and His Times [Hardcover]

George Sayer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1988

This biography of C.S.Lewis, poet, novelist, literary critic and theologian is written by a lifelong friend who seeks to present a more balanced portrait than has been possible before, by making use of family papers and the million word diary kept by Lewis's brother. He vividly describes the Belfast background, the cruel schooling and sadism, Lewis' terrible experiences in the Great War, the strange promise to a brother officer that led him to live with a woman twice his age for years at the Kilns, Oxford, the young poet, the academic career and his friendship with J.R.Tolkien and other Oxford dons who made up The Inklings group. The author goes on to describe Lewis' conversion to Christianity and the run-away success of the wartime Screwtape Lectures on the BBC and the extraordinary marriage to the eccentric American divorcee, Joy Davidman that altered him profoundly in his last years. This book provides a full survey of the whole literary output, academic, fictional, theological and poetic.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1ST edition (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006067072X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060670726
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,915,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Feast for the Literary, February 6, 2009

By 

S. Baker-Johnson (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jack: C.S. Lewis and His Times (Hardcover)

Written by Lewis' student and later in life friend, Sayer gives the reader a thorough review of his mentor's life. More than a biography, Sayer includes material about the context of Lewis' life, including the Belfast culture he was born into, the academic culture in which Lewis lived and sometimes struggled, and interpersonal relationships that some have wondered about. What is missing in detail is Lewis' time sent in the military in World War I though the author states Lewis wrote and spoke little about it. He reveals a different perspective on Lewis' childhood which is less negative than Lewis wrote. While the reader does not need to have read all of Lewis' writings prior to reading this book, it is helpful to have some general knowledge about them. Sayer covers them, including his poetry, in some detail, their development and influences. The impact of his outspoken faith on the progress or lack of progress from a professional perspective is sometimes overlooked due to his increasing fame following the publication of the Narnia series. It was interesting to learn of his struggles and disappointments in this area of his life.
I would recommend this book for any reader interested in more detail of Lewis' life. It does not read as a 'popular' book and therefore it is not a quick read. Lewis made a great contribution to an appreciation of Christianity and beauty/literature which is developed by this author.
My favorite quotes of Lewis that I read in this book are these:

"In reading great literature I become a thousand men (and I would add women) and yet remain my self. Like the night sky in a Greek poem, I see with a thousand eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself: and am never more myself than when I do."
from "An Experiment in Criticism"

"...The miracle is done
And for one little moment we are one
With the eternal stream of loveliness ...
Only a moment.
O! but we shall keep
Our vision still. One moment was enough, ...
For we have seen the Glory--we have seen."
from the poem "Dungeon Grates"