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C.S. Lewis
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A Grief Observed Paperback – April 21, 2015

by C. S. Lewis (Author), Madeleine L'Engle (Foreword)

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"I am grateful to Lewis for having the courage to yell, to doubt, to kick at God in angry violence. This is a part of a healthy grief which is not often encouraged." - Madeline L'Engle

Written with love, humility, and faith, this brief but poignant volume was first published under a pseudonym, as it was considered too raw. Written moment-to-moment as Lewis processed the loss of his wife to cancer, this is more than a mere book on grief, but a visceral hand outstretched in the darkness, a reluctant guide through the "mad midnight moments" of mourning and loss.

Key learnings that Lewis discusses are:

  • Pain is instrumental in the process of spiritual growth
  • Through hardship we often gain the best wisdom
  • Memories are treasures that will comfort you tomorrow

This work inspired the award-winning film The Shadowlands, starring Anthony Hopkins. Writing A Grief Observed as "a defense against total collapse, a safety valve," he came to recognize that "bereavement is a universal and integral part of our experience of love." A Grief Observed reminds us that, “Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.” 

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  1. Print length
    76 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    HarperOne
  4. Publication date
    April 21, 2015
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.25 x 8 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0060652381
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0060652388
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From the Publisher

1
2
3
The Problem of Pain
Mere Christianity
The Four Loves
The Great Divorce
The Screwtape Letters
The Abolition of Man
A deep dive into the question: "If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?” Approached with compassion and wisdom, Lewis; insight offers help to a world hungering for a true understanding of human nature. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith. C.S. Lewis examines four types of human love-- affection, friendship, Eros, and charity-- encouraging readers to open themselves to all forms of love, which is the key to understanding that brings us closer to God. An allegorical tale on the journey from heaven to hell that meditates on good and evil, grace and judgement, and how the gates of Hell are often locked from within. Wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, The Screwtape Letters is a masterpiece of religious satire that gives an account of the underworld's foibles in our daily lives through art of temptation. One of the most debated of Lewis’s extraordinary works, The Abolition of Man argues the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"I read Lewis for comfort and pleasure many years ago, and a glance into the books revives my old admiratation."-- John Updike"A very personal, anguished, luminous little book about the meaning of death, marriage, and religion."-- "Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

Written after his wife's tragic death as a way of surviving the "mad midnight moments," A Grief Observed is C. S. Lewis's honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. This work contains his concise, genuine reflections of that period: "Nothing will shake a man—or at any rate a man like me—out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself."

This is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperOne
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 21, 2015
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 76 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060652381
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060652388
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.28 ounces
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.25 x 8 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #2,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis

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CLIVE STAPLES LEWIS (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a fellow and tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics, the Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.