Lewis, Clive Staples

(C. S.) (Nov. 29, 1898-Nov. 22, 1963). Author and one of the best-known Christian apologists in the Anglican Communion. Lewis's works included literary history, criticism, essays, three science fiction novels with spiritual themes, speeches, and the well-known children's stories, The Chronicles of Narnia. Attractive to almost all Christian denominations, Lewis's writings have achieved an enthusiastic following. Much attention has been given both to his ideas and his personal life, especially his late-in-life marriage to Joy Davidson. The story of their marriage was made into the movie Shadowlands. Lewis taught Medieval and Renaissance literature at both Oxford and Cambridge. He was a member of a literary group called “The Inklings” which included J.R.R. Tolkien and Dorothy Sayers. His most beloved books include The Pilgrim's Regress (1933); Mere Christianity (1952); Surprised by Joy (1955), the story of his own conversion to Christianity; and The Screwtape Letters (1942). In A Grief Observed (1961) he reflected on his wife's death and the meaning of human loss. Lewis is appreciated as a leading “literary saint” of the Episcopal Church.