C S Lewis Centenary Group
Number 17: October 1998
Monthly from the C S Lewis Centenary Group
11 Raglan Road, Bangor, Co Down BT20 3TL, Northern Ireland.
Web site: http://www.d-n-a.net/users/cslewis/
E-mail: cslewis@dnet.co.uk (editorial) and coiace@iol.ie (subscriptions)
The great Christian writer, C S Lewis, was born in Belfast on 29th November 1898. The C S Lewis Centenary Group formed in 1994, so that Lewis’s native land might suitably celebrate his Centenary in 1998.
IN OCTOBER
October 1st - 1931, C. S. Lewis mentioned casually in a letter to his old friend Arthur Greeves that he had recently become a Christian
October 2nd - 1937, C. S. Lewis reviewed 'The Hobbit' anonymously in the 'Times Literary Supplement'.
October 5th - 1931, Warren and C. S. Lewis took their second trip to Whipsnade Zoo. They were both delighted with a fat brown bear that sat up and saluted for buns.
October 9th - 1946, Warren Lewis sat next to poet Ruth Pitter at a lunch party that C. S. Lewis gave for friends.
October 11th - 1930, Warren helped C. S. Lewis move into The Kilns. When Warren retired, the two would live there together the rest of their lives.
October 16th - 1962, C. S. Lewis gave a lecture on BBC Radio about John Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress'
October 22nd - 1939, C. S. Lewis delivered his rousing sermon 'Learning in Wartime' at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford.
October 26th - 1918, C. S. Lewis went to London to see Heinemann, his first publisher.
October 27th - 1912, C. S. Lewis's father wrote to him to report a dream he had about a comet. Lewis's father was excited because, to him, the dream meant that C. S. Lewis was going to become successful and famous.
October 29th - 1957, C. S. Lewis wrote to a young Californian woman that she was the first critic he knew of who realised the connection of all his books - scholarly, fantastic, theological. 'This wins really very high marks indeed.' [The young Californian woman was Kay Stilwell, later to become known as Kathryn Lindskoog- Ed]
-from 'Around the Year with C. S. Lewis and his Friends', by Kathryn Lindskoog, reprinted in the 'C. S. Lewis Journal', ed. Susan Wavre, Eagle, Guildford, 1998, by permission of Kathryn Lindskoog.
PRIDE, A BILLIONAIRE AND C. S. LEWIS
On Sunday 4 October, the 'Sunday Times' [London] published an article on the effect that reading C. S. Lewis had on the life of American billionaire, Thomas Monaghan. The 'Toronto Star' of the same date published a similar article.
Thomas Monaghan founded 'Domino's Pizza', one of the world's largest pizza chains. Yet material success did not bring Monaghan satisfaction. A friend gave him C. S. Lewis's 'Mere Christianity' to read. In his chapter on 'The Great Sin' in that book, Lewis writes that Pride leads to every other vice. Lewis calls Pride 'the essential vice, the utmost evil', 'the complete anti-God state of mind'.
Monaghan realised that night that he was the proudest person he knew, nor did he like this thought. That evening's reading of C. S. Lewis set in train events that were to lead Monaghan to divest himself of many of his material trappings, to his selling off 90% of his business empire and his donation of this vast sum to good causes. A few weeks ago, Monaghan sold what has now become the world's largest pizza delivery chain for an estimated $1 billion.
The 'Toronto Star' reports as well that Hilary Clinton is said by her husband to be one of C. S. Lewis's most fervent admirers.
THE GREAT DANCE
'The Observer' newspaper, London, reported on 20 September on 'The Great Dance', a £3.5 million laser-dance 'spectacular', inspired by the success of 'Riverdance'. 'The Great Dance', based on Lewis's science-fiction trilogy, is set to open in London before Christmas with Joss Ackland as Lewis, according to 'The Observer'.
BBC TV's 'Generation Game' of Saturday 3 October featured dancers from the show.
DOUGLAS AND JOY The 'Observer' of 20 September also reports "Douglas Gresham, Lewis' stepson, is eager to redeem his mother's image 'She was not above telling nosy friends that she was going to England to seduce C. S. Lewis,' he said, but added that there was nothing reprehensible about a woman falling in love with an unattached man and setting out to attract his love to her."
The 'Newsletter' (Belfast) of October 12 goes further-"Douglas Gresham…is reportedly keen to reshape his mother's public image….Douglas says that [Joy] definitely did tell her friends in the US that she was indeed going to seduce C S Lewis. His defence is that there is nothing wrong in that. She was divorced. He was unattached. She fell in love with him and set out to make herself attractive to him."
STILL POPULAR Chaplain Major Robert Stroud, USAF, writes- 'Two collections of Lewis' writings are included in the top ten in terms of popularity in their religious listing/sales on the web site of 'amazon.com' [ie 'www.amazon.com', the leading Internet bookstore-Ed]. These collections are-(4) The Inspirational Writings of C.S. Lewis, and (5) The Collected Writings of C.S. Lewis (Pilgrim's Regress, Christian Reflections, God in the Dock).
PAINTINGS Nineteen of Alan Seaton's paintings from memory of scenes and around Strandtown, Belmont, and East Belfast buildings (many now demolished) are on display at Holywood Arches Library, Belfast.
IAN'S HONEYMOON The Belfast Telegraph of September 25 reports on the honeymoon of member of the Centenary Group, Cllr Dr Ian Adamson, and his young wife, Kerry.
The couple met through a common interest in the 'TITANIC' (see 'C S Lewis' of December 1997). The couple married on April 15, 1998, anniversary of the liner's tragic end. Their honeymoon took them across the Atlantic on the QE2, and Ian phoned the 'Belfast Telegraph' from the precise spot where 'TITANIC' sank. In New York they stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, whose owner perished with the ship.
The couple flew back to Europe by Concorde. Their honeymoon also took them across Europe by Orient Express, and they watched the Hungarian Grand Prix as guests of Ulster racing ace, Eddie Irvine.
In spite of becoming wed and elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly, Dr Adamson has found time to write a new book on the ancient inhabitants of Ulster, the Cruithin. His "Dalriada: a fresh look at the Kingdom of the Cruithin" will be in the shops soon.
PHOTOGRAPHS
PHOTOGRAPHS OWNED BY C S LEWIS CENTENARY GROUP, AND HELD IN C. S. LEWIS ARCHIVE IN THE PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE OF NORTHERN IRELAND (PRONI)
K1 Family Group, Albert with Warren and Jacks, Augustus Hamilton with a babe in arms (published in gold Trail Brochure)
K2 Family group with Albert & Flora, Augustus Hamilton and wife, no children
K3 portrait of Augustus Hamilton ("Uncle Gussie")
K4 C. S. Lewis lighting a pipe (not an original, copyright believed to be held by TIME magazine or the photographer)
P1 Children's League of Pity, group at Kin Edar 1902 or 1903, includes Flora Lewis, Warren Lewis and Lady Ewart
P2 Jacks Lewis with Kelsie Ewart on the front steps at Glenmachan 1907
P3 Picnic party 1912, includes Arthur and Lily Greeves
P4 Tennis group at Glenmachan, 1911. Includes Jacks Lewis and Arthur Greeves. (published in gold Trail Brochure)
P5 On the steps at Glenmachan about 1919. Includes Warren Lewis, Mary Warren Ewart (Lady Ewart) and Lily Ewart (nee Greeves)
P6 Group at Glenmachan 1919. Includes Albert Lewis, Warren Lewis and Jacks Lewis.
P7 Lily Greeves and Gordon Ewart on their wedding day, 14 December 1915. Taken at 'Bernagh'.
P8 Warren Lewis with 'Judy' (a dog) at Glenmachan, probably during the First World War.
P9 'Glenmachan' in 1903 or 1904.
P10 Janie McNeill (left) with Gundreda Ewart at the Giant's Causeway about 1922
P11 1886 Graduation, Queen's College, Belfast. Flora Hamilton seated extreme left (detail published in gold Trail Brochure)
G1 C S Lewis as a boy, in a sailor suit on the steps at Glenmachan
G2 Jacks and Warnie Lewis with bicycles at Glenmachan
G3 An unknown boy on a tricycle
The arrangements for ordering copies of these photographs were published in the September issue of 'C S Lewis News'.
OGMA
Joe Christopher of Tarleton, Texas, author of 'C. S. Lewis', Twayne English Authors Series, writes-'I don't know that the enclosed sonnet is appropriate for the C. S. Lewis Newsletter, for the Church of Ireland may have doubts about a work that has only one brief allusion to Lewis's Christianity and is otherwise pagan. Further, the sonnet has one weak rhyme and certainly counts on a reader having knowledge of Irish legend (for the argument by analogy in the last tercet) and Irish myth. On the other hand, it certainly ties to Ulster!'
OGMA'S LAMENT
By Joe R. Christopher
"Alas, my Ulster son, born but to leave,
who had my gift of eloquence, whose pen
dripped honey on the page to each _Amen_,
who should have sung what Danu can conceive:
you knew of faerie danger, you knew to grieve
should Balor ope his eye, you mountains kenned,
you sang the hills of Down as citizen;
but Alba called you, to your home bereave.
"Why muse upon old Greece, far distant places--
why sing of planets with your homeland near?
Oh, died and buried in a foreign grave!
When Fergus came, for love was more than fear,
and 'spite what Deidre plainted for the brave,
Naoise, Ardan, Ainle turned their faces."
--
Joe adds, for the benefit of those whose knowledge of Celtic Mythology is less than his-
* Ogma = the god of eloquence (a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann).
* Danu = the mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danaan ("folk of the goddess
Danu"), the mother of one group of the gods.
* Balor = a god (one of the Fomors) one of whose eyes was contaminated by the smoke of a magic cauldron; when open, it killed anyone he saw. Lewis mentions him in "Irish Nocturne" in _Spirits in Bondage_.
* Alba = Celtic Britain (Wales, England, Scotland); used in the poem for modern England also.
* Fergus = one of the heroes of the Red Branch; he was sent by King Conchobar of Ulster to Scotland to invite back Naoise and his brothers, Fergus unknowingly inviting them to their deaths.
* Naoise = the husband of Deirdre--she was betrothed to Conchobar before she chose Naoise.
* Ardan and Ainle = the brothers of Naoise.
IRISH COMPOSER Kathryn Lindskoog quotes Karen Mercedes as writing-
'Irish composer Alan Mills wrote a work called "The Nativity" for SAATB choir, using text by C.S. Lewis. It's published by Music Haven and runs about 3 minutes. For more information (and to purchase) contact the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland at info@cmc.ie, or check out their website at http://www.cmc.ie/composers/mills.html. I don't know how/if this work would work with the SAA parts transposed down and octave and reassigned to either tenors or basses, but it's worth checking out.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SUSAN?
Michel Faber has written a new Narnia story, entitled 'BRAVE AGAIN' explaining what happened to Susan (see September 'C S Lewis News'). Positive comments from Gracia Fay Ellwood, Marilylle Soveran, Keith Wilkerson, Rodney Loewen, Kirsten Edwards and Mary Stolzenbach. Shelly Pitman complains 'It's not C. S. Lewis' and Angela Johnson is worried about the time sequence.
Kathryn Lindskoog comments-'I have in my computer a good little book about how Susan got back to Narnia. Here is what happened. In 1980 a cloistered Carmelite nun in Flemington, New Jersey, wrote an eighth chronicle of Narnia, telling what happened to Susan, and called it THE CENTAUR'S CAVERN. (At least twice, C.S. Lewis encouraged readers to invent new tales of Narnia.) I found her a Protestant publisher in Canada who wanted to bring it out. The altruistic plan was to make it extremely clear that this was not by C. S. Lewis, and to donate all profits to the work of Mother Teresa. I got Sheldon Vanauken to read the manuscript, and he offered to write a blurb. Everyone involved felt sure that Lewis would have approved. But to her dismay, C. S. Lewis Pte. turned her down flat. We were all surprised and deeply disappointed.'
David Lenander adds-'A gentleman (I think from New York) contacted me last year. He's written a new Chronicle about Susan, for which he cannot get permission to publish.'
* FORTHCOMING EVENTS
LEWIS AT HARVARD, October 5-7, Massachusetts. The theme of this year's William Belden Noble lectures is "Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis: Opposing Views of Life." Memorial Church, Harvard Yard, Harvard University, 8 pm.
purpose of life the pursuit of pleasure?"
our only destiny?"
DISCUSSION, October 7, West Virginia. Dr Ed Welch, President of the University of Charleston, leads an evening discussion there on the life, writings, and philosophy of C. S. Lewis, as part of a series on "Modern Heroes of Faith".
SPANISH CONFERENCE, 21-23 October, University of Granada, Spain. Walter Hooper is a speaker. Contact Dr Margarita Carretero-Gonzalez, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, University of Granada, Andalucia, Spain.
LECTURES ETC, Texas, Oct. 22-24. LeTourneau College, Longview, TX. Bruce Edwards presents a series of lectures and a Saturday workshop on the life and work of C. S. Lewis. Contact Dr. Martin Batts <battsm@letu.edu>.
THE WORLD OF NARNIA EXHIBITION, London, 24 October onwards. The exhibition due to begin on this date at the London Toy and Model Museum is cancelled. Dr Edwin Brown of Indianapolis writes that the Museum has been in touch to tell him that it no longer needs the loan of his original illustrations by Pauline Baynes. Walter Hooper says that the museum's owners have recently changed.
WORKSHOP, Michigan, Oct. 29-31. Bruce Edwards presents a three-day workshop on the life and work of C. S. Lewis at Cornerstone College, Grand Rapids, MI. Contact person: Dr. Michael Stevens mstevens@bc1.cornerstone.edu
C. S. LEWIS: 100th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, October 29-31, Cornerstone College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The celebration will be led by Dr. Bruce Edwards and will include Dr. Robert Hubbard of Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI; Dr. Janice Brown of Grove City College, Pennsylvania; Dr. Benjamin Lockerd of Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI; Mr. Gregory Dunn of the Lord Acton Institute of Grand Rapids, MI, along with faculty and students from Cornerstone College. Topics will include "Lewis' Life and Times," "Lewis as an Imaginative Writer," "Lewis as Christian Apologist and Cultural Critic." The conference will also include sessions on G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, on the challenge of performing Lewis as an actor. Amid the topics will be such fascinating sessions as "C. S. Lewis and Generation X," "Teaching Lewis: Home, Church, School, College," "To Narnia & Back," as well as dramatic readings and interactive discussions. For a brochure supplying complete information on the celebration, contact David W. Landrum at Cornerstone College, email <dlandrum@cornerstone.edu>.
TALK, Belfast, Monday 2 November. James O'Fee's illustrated talk 'C. S. Lewis, Ulsterman' will start at 7 pm in Holywood Arches Library. Admission free.
LECTURE, Kentucky, Tuesday, November 3rd. "The Life, Work, and Influence of C.S. Lewis," Rev. Richard James, at Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, 7pm. Open to the public. Contact Phil Hanna at 502-384-8102 or hannap@Lindsey.edu.
LIBRARY EXHIBITION, Belfast. On Wednesday 4th November 1998 at 12 noon, James O'Fee will open the exhibition 'C. S. Lewis his life and writings' in the foyer of Belfast Central Library.
PROGRAM, Kentucky, November 6-7. Cumberland County Arts Council has the Rev.
Richard James, pastor, in a two-evening multimedia program on "C.S. Lewis: The Man Who Created Narnia." Each evening's program will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall of the First Christian Church, Burkesville. The program is open to the public. Contact Richard James at 502-864-5843 or < rvjames@kih.net.>.
BELFAST C. S. LEWIS SCULPTURE The Unveiling is on Friday 6th November at 10.30 am outside Holywood Arches Library. All welcome.
TRIBUTE ETC, Ohio, Nov. 6-9. C. S. Lewis Centenary Celebration, Bowling Green Covenant Church, Bowling Green, OH. Friday evening (7:00 PM) tribute to Lewis through music, drama, and dance; Saturday workshop (9:30AM-3:00 PM) on the life and work of C. S. Lewis led by Bruce Edwards; Sunday morning sermon,
"The Weight of Glory" (10:00 AM). Contact person: Bruce Edwards <edwards@bgnet.bgsu.edu> or 419-352-8483.
ONE MAN SHOW, Thurs 12 November, Co Down. Rev Trevor Gillian, 'An Evening with C. S. Lewis', Saintfield Heritage Society, Saintfield Branch Library, Saintfield.
FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN CENTENARY EVENT, 14th November, Johannesburg.
"CS Lewis - 20th Century Giant", a Talk by Claude Cunningham on the character, writings and place of Lewis in this century, with a personal testimony to the friendship of those who know him. Honeyridge Baptist Church, Cnr DF Malan Drive and Eastwood Ave, Randpark Ridge, Johannesburg, South Africa, 19:00. Information on phone:
(27) (11) 795-3251 (Church) (27) (11) 792-8936 (Home), email <cvbc@ael.co.za>
EVENT, Toronto, November 14. Diana Verseghy, email Diana.Verseghy@EC.GC.CA, writes-'The Prayer Book Society of Canada, Toronto Branch, presents a special event: C.S. LEWIS: AN ANGLICAN FOR OUR TIME Saturday, November 14 at 1:30 PM at St. John's Church, York Mills (Toronto). The PBSC Toronto Branch is hosting an afternoon event consisting of three lectures. Each lecture will last for 30 minutes, and will be followed by 15 minutes of questions. Refreshments will be available between the presentations.
* 1:30 PM: The Life of C.S. Lewis, by Dr. Ian Storey (Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ancient History and Classics at Trent University, Peterborough)
* 2:30 PM: The Spirituality of C.S. Lewis, by Dr. Nancy-Lou Patterson (Professor Emerita of Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo. She will speak on the practical ways in which Lewis's faith as a practicing Anglican was worked out in his life, and on how this spirituality was reflected in his writings.
* 3:30 PM: C.S. Lewis the Prophet, by Michael Coren (a syndicated newspaper columnist, who hosts his own evening talk show on CFRB Radio). His talk will focus on the stresses that Lewis foresaw as facing the mainline Christian denominations in this century.
St. John's Church, York Mills, is located at 19 Don Ridge Drive. There is ample parking in the church lot. If coming by car, proceed east along York Mills Road from Yonge Street, and then turn left on Old Yonge Street (top of the hill) and left again on Donridge Drive. The church is at the end of the road. If coming by public transit, take the subway to the York Mills station and walk north on Yonge St. for about 100 yards. You will come to a lych-gate on your right, and a footpath which leads to the church grounds.
TALK, (CORRECTION) THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER [not Wednesday 18 November as previously published], Belfast. Rev Trevor Gillian, Campbell College. And a Talk, not his One-man Show.
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PRODUCTION OF 'THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE' Performances at Stratford on 24 November 1998 to 27 February 1999, then transferring to London. Directed by Adrian Noble.
FIRST AUSTRALIAN CENTENARY EVENT, November 22, Sydney. A C S Lewis Centenary Service in St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, at 10.30 am (details from'The Southern Cross Quarterly', NSW-see below).
COMMEMORATION, Indiana, 23 November. The Huntington College Forester Lecture Series will present a "C.S. Lewis, 1898-1998: A Centennial Commemoration" on November 23, 1998, 8:00 p.m., Merillat Centre for the Arts Auditorium. The program will be a roundtable discussion celebrating Lewis's wide-ranging work and interests.
Panelists: R. William Hasker, Huntington College, Richard Hill, Taylor University, and Paul E. Michelson, Huntington College. Contact person: Jack Barlow <jbarlow@huntington.edu>, Department of History, Huntington College, Huntington IN 46750. Phone 219/359-4243.
LECTURE, Friday 27 November, Cambridge. A. N. Wilson (controversial biographer), Palmerston Room, Fisher Theatre, St John's College, 5.30-6.30 pm. Admission Free.
CENTENARY DINNER, Saturday 28th November. The C S Lewis Centenary Group is holding a 'C. S. Lewis Centenary Dinner' in the Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, price (including wine) £20 per person. Open to all lovers of Lewis. Contact Tony Fleck, 8 Ard-na-ree, Groomsport, Co Down BT19 6JL, Tel/Fax 01247 464401. Cheques payable to 'C S Lewis Centenary Group'.
**SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER - THE EXACT CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF C. S. LEWIS**
NARNIA PARTY AY HAMLEY'S, Sunday 29 November, London. Join the cast from the RSC production of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' in a day full of Narnia fun and games at London's leading toy store.
RADIO DOCUMENTARY, Sunday 29 November 5.45-6.30 pm, BBC Radio 3 (National). Produced by Judith Elliott of BBC Northern Ireland.
100TH BIRTHDAY PARTY, Oklahoma, 29 November. Dr Doreen Anderson Wood writes-'The centenary of the birth of C.S.Lewis, noted Oxford don, scholar, Christian apologist and creator of Narnia will be celebrated with an organ concert by George W. Bayley on 29 November 1998. The Tulsa C.S.Lewis Society, Music at Trinity, Inc., and the Music Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma are joining to sponsor the concert at Trinity Episcopal Church, Tulsa, at 4:00 p.m. on Lewis's one-hundredth birthday. Mr. Bayley's program will include the North American premier of the "Shadowlands Suite," arranged by Bayley (with the composer's kind permission) from the original film score by George Fenton. Also a setting of Psalm XIX, Lewis's favorite psalm, by Benedetto Marcello. The concert will be followed by high tea and birthday party, featuring traditional English birthday cake, crackers and paper hats, and Lewis's favorite food and drinks. Contact Dr. Doreen Anderson Wood on email wooddoreen@hotmail.com'.
C. S. LEWIS CONFERENCE, December 4-5, Utah. Dr Chris Mitchell delivers the keynote address. Many expected to attend. Brigham Young University.
COURSE ON LEWIS, begins January 1999, Mayville State University, North Dakota. Professor Dale Nelson will teach a course on Lewis, MacDonald, Tolkien and Williams. Contact Dale Nelson English Dept., Mayville State University, 330 Third St NE, Mayville, ND 58257, email dale_nelson@mail.masu.nodak.edu.
PROFESSOR PETER KREEFT, January 25th, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The noted authority on C. S. Lewis is speaking as part of the January series. More information from Chris Blauwkamp on email cblauw31@CALVIN.EDU
ONE MAN SHOW, Thurs 12 February 1999, Belfast. Rev Trevor Gillian, St Stephen's Church Hall, Millfield, North Belfast.
* REPORTS
MYTHCON 98 Wed 15-Mon 20 July, Wheaton College, Illinois.
Mythcon 98 was a feast for Inklings lovers and especially Lewisphiles, since it brought together a wide range of experts, admirers, and dreamers who had spent much of their lives submerged in the imaginative landscapes of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and, even Owen Barfield. (The latter, of course, had a centenary of his own to be celebrated, and the discussions and revelations about Barfield's thought on many issues related to Lewis were most informative.) In addition, there was attention paid to Lewis Carroll, George MacDonald, and some of the lesser-known Inklings.
Lewis was the rightful center of attention and certainly drew the majority of the participants. The organizing committee, chaired by Dr. Diana Glyer of Azsua Pacific University, did a tremendous job of balancing academic, theological, literary, and cultural interests in the life and works of Lewis in filling the program. Intriguing panels abounded--so many, in fact, that it was impossible to be present at all of them, since many ran simultaneously. And even when they didn't, the side conversations and networking of scholars, fans, and well-wishers often took first priority and were as edifying as some of the formal papers. A highlight for many was the one-person performance of The Great Divorce by Tony Lawton of Philadelphia; his evocation of Lewis' dream vision of the afterlife was both moving and challenging. One of the more overflowing panel discussions in terms of attendance, interestingly enough, was the session on Lewis as Literary Critic, in which the participants introduced, reviewed, or critiqued one of Lewis's seminal works--The Allegory of Love, Studies in Words, the Preface to Paradise Lost, An Experiment in Criticism, and English Literature in the 16th Century. This seemed to confirm still another fruitful area of Lewis studies has opened up that transcends his apologetics and fiction.
The most lasting memory most of us who attended will entertain is the simple truth that Lewis continues to bring together good hearted, intellectually alive, and spiritually attuned people, and that when they come together, a rich community is formed that expands the tradition of the Inklings to inspire excellence, cultivate goodness, and foster learning. All in all, Mythcon 98 was a wonderful experience and one rarely found in the pathways that many academics and aficionados of authors like Lewis travel.-Dr Bruce Edwards.
ORGAN RECITALS The 19 September issue of the 'Knoxville News-Sentinel' (Tennessee) had an article by Rebecca Simmons covering Dr George Bayley's summer organ recitals in cathedrals in London, Dublin, and Belfast, in Co Down, and on his visit to Northern Ireland. You can access this article through the web site, http://www.knoxnews.com, click the religion section, then "In tune with C. S. Lewis".
PORTSTEWART 'SHADOWLANDS' Tuesday 8 September. Standing room only at the production of 'Shadowlands' at Portstewart, Co Derry, with 300 people attending.
WHEATON CONFERENCE ON LITERATURE 98, Wed 23-Sat 26 September.
Wheaton College (Illinois) sponsors an annual conference in the Fall on a Literary figure or movement, and chose, for 1998, C. S. Lewis for his centennial significance. Presenters included David Downing, Philip Yancey, Bruce Edwards, Doris Myers, Jerry Root, George Musacchio, Chris Mitchell, and Tom Martin. Many papers focused on Lewis's scholarship and its relationship to his imaginative work, while one focused his unpublished romance, "The Quest for Blehres," found in Wheaton's Wade Center's collection of Lewis manuscripts. Tom Key performed his one-man Lewis show and a banquet talk by Philip Yancey celebrated salutary Lewis's impact on the way Christians think about their faith in relationship to time and eternity, viz., like Chesterton, Lewis teaches how to live with the paradoxes of the Christian faith in fruitful and energizing ways. Once again, the camaraderie of spirit and learning pervaded the event and gave proper honor to the work and example of Lewis in the 20th Century, and beyond.-Dr Bruce Edwards.
ASPECTS OF IRISH WRITING Festival, Sunday 27 September. The literary festival had an interesting panel discussion between-
Panel answers to some questions-
* Which single book will Lewis be remembered for?
Hooper- 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', Murphy- 'Allegory of Love', Barrington-Ward- 'Preface to Paradise Lost', Bleakley- 'Mere Christianity'
* What lesson did you chiefly learn from Lewis?
Barrington-Ward - Repentance, Murphy - Writing and speaking clearly, Hooper- God is Love.
PLAY Rodney Loewen writes from Canada- 'Some friends of mine who live in the Philippines wrote me a letter telling me about the Aug 23 musical play production of "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." They tell me that it was an all Filipino production well done and well worth seeing. Their favourite scene was the night winter forest scene where the children first enter Narnia. The bare dark trees and the sparkle of the full moon on the snow at night made them feel like they were back in the bush in Northern Ontario.
HARVARD LECTURE , October 5. Stuart Buck writes-'I had the opportunity to go to a lecture tonight at Harvard. The speaker was Armand Nicholi, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Med School. The subject -- "The Conflicting Worldviews of Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis." The lecture was well attended, probably 250 - 300 people there. Dr. Nicholi contrasted Freud's arguments against God (primarily 'wish fulfillment') with Lewis's answers. Nicholi was followed by a short speech by Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the Human Genome Research Project, who gave a short Christian testimony.'
Jack Haynes writes-'On Oct 5 I saw the first of a three evening lecture series at Harvard's Memorial Church on the theme "The Conflicting World Views of Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis. The lecturer was ASA member Armand Nicoli, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. His first talk was "The Scientific Method and the Moral Law: Is there an Intelligence beyond the universe? Armand drew heavily on Lewis' turn from atheism to Christianity and the many parallels in the early thinking of both men. ASA member Francis Collins was the respondent. After the superb talk to a SRO crowd the two faced questions from the audience, which was a mixture of Christians and non- Christians. Evangelical ABC Medical News Editor Tim Johnson was the moderator. The questions were mainly from skeptics of Christianity.'
CHARLESTON, SC, October 7. Ann Ballard writes-'Dr. Edwin Welch gave a wonderful C.S. Lewis presentation at the University of Charleston. Over 200 attended.'
* RESEARCH
STRANDTOWN, BELMONT AND DUNDELA Mr Tony Wilson writes-
DUNDELA is the name of the present-day parish, of which the church is dedicated to St Mark. The chapel of Dundela (capella de Dundela) is listed in the "Taxation of the Dioceses of Down, Connor and Dromore" in the year 1306 and was valued at 40 shillings. The site of this chapel, on top of a low hill now carrying a ruined church and a small graveyard, is in Knockmount Park off the Knock Road dual carriageway. It is likely that a nearby large mound was the Dun of Dela. It is said that a certain Niall O'Neill presented his chief poet Dela with this dun (meaning fort) together with 'lands of great worth'. The name Dundela was transferred from the ruined church to the parish (established in 1863) in which the church of St Mark's was later built. (The ruined church was within the original boundary of the parish of St Mark's, Dundela. However it now stands within the parish of St Columba.)
STRANDTOWN is the name of a village. Its main street of shops begins at the junction of the Holywood Road and the Belmont Road [ie Gelson's Corner-Ed]. It takes its name from the strand (meaning shore) of Belfast Lough from (approximately) Victoria Park to Holywood.
BELMONT is the name of a district, a residential area. It covers the Belmont Road, with some of its side roads, from the end of Strandtown village as far as the junction with the Old Holywood Road. It contains a primary school, a church, and a public park, all named Belmont. Its name (perhaps remember Portia's house in "The Merchant of Venice" is derived from the house called Belmont owned by Sir Thomas McClure, who developed the district with streets and houses in the second half of the 19th century.
DR 'TED' or 'JOEY' LEWIS Dr Wilson Clark is a member of the 'Under 5 Group, which recently heard a talk on 'The Conversion of C. S. Lewis to Christianity'. Dr Wilson remarked that he had been taught at the Royal Victoria Hospital by Dr 'Ted' Lewis, whom CSL knew as 'Joey'. Walter Hooper footnotes - 'They Stand Together', page 304 - that in 1928 Dr Lewis was appointed bacteriologist to the Belfast Infirmary. Dr Wilson Clark says that the Infirmary later became the City Hospital, and that Dr Lewis later moved to the Royal Victoria Hospital. [See August 1998 'C S Lewis News'.]
GRANDFATHER RICHARD LEWIS In his Will, C. S. Lewis mentioned a portrait of his grandfather, Richard Lewis. In Clause 4 of the Will C. S. Lewis wrote-
'4. I GIVE AND BEQUEATH my half share in the Portrait of Richard Lewis which at the date hereof is hung in my said rooms at Magdalene College to my said brother for life and after his death to my cousin Mrs. I.W. Purvis whose address at the date hereof is C/o W.K. Bellinger, West Gardens, Boars Hill, Oxford with the request (but not so as to create any enforceable trust) that she will in due course pass on the said Portrait to such descendant of the late Richard Lewis of Ty-isa, Lower Strandtown, Belfast, as she shall deem most likely to value it.'
Does anybody know where the portrait of Richard Lewis is today?
C. S. LEWIS FAN An anonymous 'C. S. Lewis Fan' writes; 'I am a subscriber to the "News" and find it most interesting. I have often wondered where "Jack's" parents are buried. I mean they must have been interred in some graveyard in Northern Ireland since there was no cremation then. I assume they were married in St. Mark's. Maybe you could include this info (if you have it) in one of the Newsletters. I prefer to sign myself "A fan" and then you won't feel obliged to reply thus giving yourselves more work! '
Tony Wilson replies- 'In answer to 'A Fan' - Flora Lewis died on 23rd August 1908 - her funeral was "absolutely private (Belfast News Letter 24th August). Albert Lewis died on 25th September 1929 (death notice and obituary on p.14 of the Belfast News Letter 27th September) funeral notice on p.6 of B.N.L. 30th September "at the City Cemetery". They were married in St. Mark's 29 August 1894 (Walter Hooper, 'COMPANION').'
MORE ON C. S. LEWIS'S WILL Mr David Gaston writes (11th September 1998)-'Thank you for your letter of 7th September. I take the point that the Will is of limited significance given that the estate was relatively small as most of Lewis's earnings were given to charity. It would have been very easy for me to have completely overlooked the Will amongst the documents of title but for the fact that the member of staff who checked off the deeds is a member of St. Mark's and pointed out to me that the Will is that of C. S. Lewis.
One of the reasons that I kept a copy of it was because it contained a photocopy of the original Will including Lewis' signature. The Probate Office requires a typed copy of each Will to be submitted to them. At that time it was usual to produce a freshly typed copy although nowadays it is usual practice to submit a photocopy, unless a Will is handwritten.
I am not entirely surprised that there is no record of the Will in the Public Record Office in Northern Ireland. As Probate of the Will was extracted in England, a copy of it should be available from the Principal Probate Registry or from the Public Records Office.'
The value of Lewis's Estate was depressed because it Lewis had given to charity two-thirds or more of the earnings from his writing.-Ed.
IN SEARCH OF FLORA HAMILTON Ivan Strachan writes an article with this title in the "Annual Review of the Queen's University Association 1997-8'. A senior member of the University Estates office found an old framed photograph in a rubbish skip in University Square. From the clothes worn by the women students, this proved to be the oldest -known photo of Queen's graduates. The precise date (1886) was identified by matching a photo of the young Flora Hamilton (mother of C. S. Lewis) with one of the women graduates. A detail of the same photo was published in our gold Trail brochure, and a larger version (about three-quarter size) may be found in the PRONI Archive - see above.
* THE WRITTEN WORD
The much-heralded Lewis 'publishing bonanza' of Lewis books has arrived!
NEW NARNIA BOOKS FROM HARPER COLLINS. See BOOK REVIEW Section.
OTHER HARPERCOLLINS BOOKS - See BOOK REVIEW Section.
IN BRITAIN A good article on C. S. Lewis in the magazine of the British Tourist Authority, November 1998 issue. Covers both the Northern Ireland and Oxford connections. Photographs of the Mourne Mountains, Crawfordsburn, Belfast from the Cave Hill, Anthony Hopkins & Debra Winger, Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera and University College.
GUARDIAN An unflattering article on Lewis was published in 'The GUARDIAN' (London) on October1. The text of the article (by Philip Pullman) can be read at: http://reports.guardian.co.uk/articles/1998/10/1/24747.html. Philip Pullman is the author of the award winning books 'The Golden Compass' and 'The Subtle Knife'. The 'GUARDIAN' has reportedly received letters of protest.
BOOKS AND DOLLS Mary Helsten writes- 'In the Christian Book Distributors Christmas Catalog, C.S. Lewis books are listed on pages 54 and 55. Of special interest-'
* The Narnia Paper Dolls (10782), $ 5.95
* The Narnia Cookbook by Doug Gresham (78153), $ 11.95
* The 1999 World of Narnia Calendar (10944), $ 7.95
The CBD number for phone orders is 1-978-977-5000. FAX 1-978-977-5010
CBD's website: http://www.christianbook.com'.
Rodney Loewen writes-'The 1999 World of Narnia calendar is quite nicely done and measures 12"x 12". The calendar came with 63 stickers for special occasions such as Birthday, School Trip, Back to School.'
FRONTIERS: EVANGELICAL PERSPECTIVES ON FAITH AND SOCIETY, (Ulster). Autumn 1998, has an article by Joy Alexander 'TWO WRITERS AND A WARDROBE'. Joy gave a well-received paper at the Belfast Conference.
AN IRISH MIND, NOT AN ENGLISH ONE Harry Blamires has written a section with the title 'An Irish, Not English Mind', in which Blamires attempts to place Lewis in an Irish literary tradition. This in Blamires' paper 'Teaching the Universal Truth' in 'THE PILGRIM'S GUIDE: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Witness' ed David Mills, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, UK.
THE MOST VALUBLE WORDS In his Foreword to David Bleakley's forthcoming book, 'C. S. Lewis: At Home in Ireland', Walter Hooper writes- 'Of the millions of words written in celebration of the Centenary of Lewis's birth, David Bleakley's seem to me the most valuable. They lift the particular onto a high level, and by concentrating on Lewis and his native Ireland they illuminate an area of Lewis's life no one has written about before… …I doubt if any amount of 'Lewis scholarship can provide us with as much truth as Mr Bleakley's little anecdote about Heaven…"Heaven is Oxford lifted and placed in the middle of the County Down". This alone makes this book worth its weight in gold, for it sums up almost all that Lewis loved and that made him the particular man he was.'
EVERYDAY LEWIS Ross Vermeer of Hong Kong writes- 'There's a very good article called 'The Everyday C S Lewis', by Gilbert Meilaender, in the just-posted issue of *First Things*. The URL for the article is http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9808/meilaender.html
EAST AND WEST The controversial book by Chris Patten is now in the shops, launched together with a BBC TV documentary by Patten, See BOOK REVIEW Section.
LEWIS ARTICLES BY J. I. PACKER The renowned Theologian writes that he has produced three 'fairly solid' articles on Lewis for the Centenary. Two of these articles have already appeared in print.
SOUTHERN CROSS Some other Lewis articles in 'The Southern Cross Quarterly'-
* 'Lewis's Legacy: a military perspective', by Major Robert C. Stroud,
* 'Apostle of the Imagination', with the sub-title 'Jenny Halcrow looks at the life and impact of C S Lewis
* 'The Essential Lewis', subtitle 'Jenny Sillar questions two Lewis fans about their favourite Lewis books'. The two fans are the Archbishop of Sydney, Harry Goodhew, ( favourite book 'The Problem of Pain', favourite passage from 'The Weight of Glory') and Danielle Rough, St Mark's, Berowra, aged 14 (favourite book 'The Last Battle', favourite passage from 'The Magician's Nephew where they plant a toffee and it grows into a toffee tree).
* 'According to the Son'. subtitle 'Stephen Liggins [Editor of the 'Quarterly'-Ed] speaks with Douglas Gresham'. Douglas is described as 'a fully salaried consultant with C. S. Lewis Pte Ltd - a company which looks after many aspects of C S Lewis's works. He is also a preacher and, with his wife, runs Rathvinden Ministries - a Christian counselling and drop in centre based near Dublin'. Douglas reportedly adds 'The only rule of the place is that as you come in through the front door, your denomination stays on the doormat along with the rest of the rubbish and your Christianity comes in with you....I preach what Jesus taught. I think that if you stick with the gospels of Jesus Christ you can't really go wrong. The mistake that many churches, if not most of the churches, I think in the world today make is to try and sugar coat the gospels, or dress them up, or add bits to them, or attach rituals and ceremonials to them and so forth. I think you will see the results of that in the fact that most of the churches are empty.'
ARTICLE ON ROSS WILSON, 'No Liberation in repetition', in the ULSTER CHRISTIAN, issue 19.
* WHO ARE WE?
Although the information is on our web site, we haven't before published the make-up of the C S Lewis Centenary Group in 'C S Lewis News'. It is-
Chairman: James O'Fee, Secretary: Tony Fleck, Hon Treasurer: Joan Whiteside
Members- Cllr Dr Ian Adamson MB DCH MFCH, Rt Hon David Bleakley CBE, Aiden Flanagan, Fr Finbarr Flanagan ofm, Richard Froggatt, Dr John Gillespie, Rev Trevor Gillian, Terry James, Rev Jack Lamb, Rhonda Paisley, Christopher Parker, Ian Sinclair, John Whiteside, Ross Wilson and Tony Wilson.
Former Members- Jonathan Bardon, Michael Hutchison, and Hilary Truick.
* FEEDBACK
GEORGE BAYLEY, Tennessee- 'Our visit to Northern Ireland was a special event in our lives. Ulsterfolk are so warm, friendly and generous…The thought of Northern Ireland makes us feel a bit homesick. We will return for another visit.'
REV PERRY BRAMLETT, Kentucky- ' Your September newsletter was terrific, and I greatly enjoyed it - it seems they get better with every issue…. The information on Kirkpatrick was fascinating...'
PROFESSOR WAYNE MARTINDALE-' Thanks for the newsletter. I'm going to miss your work when your group shuts down. Tell me it isn't so.' [I'm afraid so, Wayne. The December issue will be the final one.-Ed]
TERRI WILLIAMS, Brazil- ' your new brochure is wonderful. I picked up two extra copies at the Wade Collection to give to friends here interested in Lewis.'
MEL MCMAHAN, Newry, Co Down-"very impressed by the C. S. Lewis Centenary Group's efforts to celebrate one of our province's brightest lights'
* IN BRIEF
* CORRECTIONS AND APOLOGIES
* No son has been born to Mr & Mrs Ross Wilson, as mistakenly stated in the September issue. Apologies to the couple for the error and for any embarrassment caused.
* Miss Margaret Greeves of 'Aiteen', Portsalon, Co Donegal writes-'With reference to your newsletter of July 1998, pp8&9 regarding C. S. Lewis. It would be advisable to check your facts before publishing. (a) CSL did come to 'Westlands', but not for tea on the lawn - on occasions to supper. Joy (his wife) never set foot in Westlands'. (b) CSL and Arthur Greeves never came to this house ['Aiteen'-Ed], it was built after they died. (c) Margaret Greeves is not 'in her '80s', as suggested, and being the daughter of Thomas Greeves, Arthur's eldest brother, could hardly be Arthur's cousin. I think that Uncle might be more appropriate. Please make correction in your next newsletter, and I think that an apology to your followers for misleading them, and to me for incorrect statements, & for being most hurtful would be in order.'
Sincere apologies to Miss Greeves-Ed.
* Rev Trevor Gillian at Campbell College (a) is on Thursday 19 November (not Wed 18 November as published) and (b) is a Talk, not a one-man show.
* Miss Linda Greenwood says that the document in PRONI Archive with CSL's signature was not Albert Lewis's Will (as mistakenly stated in the September 'C S Lewis News'), but rather the deed transferring his legal practice.
* OUR CONTEMPORARIES
IN BRITAIN, magazine of the British Tourist Authority, November 1998 issue. Subscription queries- (USA ONLY) Tel (800) 783 4903, Mon-Fri 9-5 pm EST
CANADA AND REST OF WORLD Tel (44) 1752 675175.
FRONTIERS, 14 Laurelhill Road, Lisburn, Co Antrim BT28 2UH, Northern Ireland. A subscription of 4 copies costs £12 (UK/Isle of Man), IR£15 (Republic of Ireland), £18, banker's draft in sterling (overseas).
ULSTER CHRISTIAN, issue 19, 8 Dufferin Court, Dufferin Avenue, Bangor, Co Down BT20 3BX, Northern Ireland, £1.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY, September 7, 1998, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188, USA, $2.95. One-year subscription (14 issues) $24.95 [US], outside US add $8.00 postage prepaid US currency
SOUTHERN CROSS QUARTERLY, P.O. Box Q190 QVB Post Office,
Sydney, NSW 1230, Australia. scq@anglicanmediasydney.asn.au
Subscriptions: Wendy Brammall (02) 9265 1505. $18 for four quarterly issues.
* FINALLY
'TRAIL' BROCHURE Free copies of our 1998 brochure 'The C S Lewis Centenary Trail in Belfast and North Down' are available. Write, enclosing a stamped, addressed, 6"x9" (A5) envelope to:
(UK):
TRAIL BROCHURE,
Ace Ventures,
214 Holywood Road,
Belfast BT4 2DH.
with a 26p stamp on the envelope; or
(North America)
Donna J. Christensen,
Omega Productions,
P.O. Box 822643,
Dallas TX 75382.
The envelope should have 55 cent stamps (US) or, for Canada, an "International Reply Coupon" for 72 cents US, available at Canadian Post Offices.
BACK ISSUES OF 'C S LEWIS NEWS' Each back issue costs £1 ($2), or £13 ($24) for issues 1-16 inclusive. Please send your order to;
C S Lewis News (Back Issues),
Ace Ventures,
217 Holywood Road,
Belfast BT4 2DH,
Northern Ireland.
Telephone (working hours) (01232) 672351 or (international) +44 1232 672351. Make cheques payable to 'ACE VENTURES'.
END OF THE MAIN SECTION
BOOK REVIEWS, OCTOBER 1998
NEW NARNIA BOOKS, From HarperCollins. The 2 complete Narnia books have the order - The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle.
THE COMPLETE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, 524 pp, hardback, £29.99. [$50.00 in US]. With illustrations hand-coloured by the artist, Pauline Baynes. ISBN 0 00 185713-4.
For the first time, all seven Narnia tales books together in one volume. With the original illustrations now hand-coloured by Pauline Baynes, Lewis's original artist. A gorgeous book. Although younger children will find this a heavy book to handle. - James O'Fee.
Rodney McCulloh of 'Lamp-post Books' adds- 'The one-volume Narnia book appears to be what many of us have been waiting for. Available from CBD at $34.95 plus shipping (website http://www.chrbook.com).
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, hardback 175 pp, £19.99 Illustrations by Pauline Baynes with 18 colour plates. ISBN 0 00 183152-6.
A beautiful book with new colour plates by Pauline Baynes. The other Narnia tales are not available in this format. - James O'Fee.
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE hardback, £12.99. Abridged for younger children with colour spreads and black-and-white illustrations by Christian Birmingham. ISBN 0 00 185701-0.
With new, more modern, and more realistic illustrations by Christian Birmingham, some of them across two wide pages. I love pages with Edmund looking at the White Witch in her sleigh. This abridged version will have your children reading Narnia for themselves at an even younger age. My 7-year-old daughter loves it. - James O'Fee
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, hardback 767 pp, £24.99, with black-and-white illustrations by Pauline Baynes, ISBN 0 00 675394-9.
Designed for adults, and worth its place in the library of any lover of Narnia. The illustrations are the original, well-loved, ones.-James O'Fee
HarperCollins CENTENARY EDITIONS A complete repackage of Lewis's religious works. New artwork. Seventeen titles, released in five batches throughout 1998 incl. Surprised by Joy, Christian Reflections, The Four Loves, Fernseeds and Elephants, Reflections on the Psalms, Compelling Reason, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, God in the Dock, Screwtape Letters, Screwtape Proposes a Toast, The Pilgrim's Regress, Till We have Faces, Prayer: Letters to Malcolm, The Dark Tower.
The text of the old editions was crabbed, blotchy, and difficult to read for anyone with less than perfect eyesight. The new 'Centenary' editions have a new, cleaner, text with larger print and pages. New cover artwork, too. My opinion is that the lesser strain on the eyes is worth the extra price (typically one or two pounds more). - James O'Fee.
C. S. LEWIS ON LOVE, C. S. LEWIS ON JOY, C. S. LEWIS ON FAITH, C. S. LEWIS ON GRIEF, compiled by Leslie Walmsley, hardback, (UK) Harper Collins, £7.99, (US) Thomas Nelson, $10.00.
These little books of 64 pages each are nicely illustrated works designed for the devotional reading of some of Lewis's "best" writings (one to two pages each, 29 passages in each book) from his major Christian works and essays. The books have a brief introduction and are attractively designed in bright colors and with an inset photo of Lewis on the cover.- Perry Bramlett.
EAST AND WEST: THE LAST GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, Chris Patten, Macmillan, hardback 342 pp, £22.50, ISBN 0 333 74787 9.
Earlier this year the book caused great controversy at HarperCollins and led to the departure of their senior Editor, Stuart Proffitt (see March "C S Lewis News"). Chris Patten's book is a fine, racy, read - not at all a book of 'Memoirs'. The tyranny of the Chinese Communist regime is such an inherent part of the story that it's difficult to know what parts Rupert Murdoch wanted to censor. Chris Patten is now Chairman of the Northern Ireland Commission on Policing.- James O'Fee.
TOURING C.S.LEWIS'S IRELAND & ENGLAND by Perry C. Bramlett and Ronald W. Higdon, with maps by Claudia Wells. Smith and Helwys, Georgia, $12.00. ISBN 1-800-747-3016
This will be a useful guide to anyone who wishes to visit the places in which Lewis lived and worked, or where he went for holidays, usually in the company of his brother, Warren, or fellow members of the Inklings, if they were walking tours. Good directions are given for finding churches, colleges, the various homes which he shared with Mrs. Moore and Maureen; and finally, the Kilns, to which he was later to bring Joy and her two sons in 1957, not 1958.
We are also told of his friends and their homes; which pubs, hotels, and restaurants they all visited. Lewis's own family and childhood in Ireland, their houses, and holiday resorts are specified. His years at school and as a pupil of William (not Arthur) Kirkpatrick before winning his scholarship to University College, Oxford, are briefly related, and we learn of his long friendship with Arthur Greeves. The years at Oxford are, of course, the most detailed, but Cambridge, too, is well mapped and described.
So much ground is covered, and so many places named, that there are inevitable mistakes. In Ireland, it is the Fanad (not Fanod) peninsula, and the hotel in Ballynahinch is the Spa, commemorating the ancient watering place, not the 'Spar', which suggests a modern grocery chain. In Oxford, my own college, Lady Margaret Hall, is surprisingly placed in St. Giles. There are 39, not 30, colleges. The new Bodleian Library was not completed until 1939 (not 1930), and opened after the war by King George VI. Carfax, sadly not marked on the map, has always been held as the centre of the city, not St Mary the Virgin's church, although the University did develop around the church.
There is a useful annotated Bibliography, which will help the reader who wants to find out about Lewis the man, or to relive 'SHADOWLANDS'. My own preference would be to direct more attention to Lewis's own apologetic writing, and to his prize-winning 'Allegory of Love', 'Preface to Paradise Lost', 'Abolition of Man' and 'The Discarded Image', all of which indicate how privileged those of us were who attended his brilliant lectures.- Mary Rogers.
THE C. S. LEWIS READERS' ENCYCLOPEDIA, edited by Jeffrey D. Schultz and John G. West Jr., published by Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, 1998, ISBN 0-310-21538-2.
This book tells the reader almost everything that one needs to know about the life of C. S. Lewis and his books. Introducing the book is an excellent account of Lewis the man, John Bremer's "A Brief Biography" - lively, accurate, firmly-based and authoritative. The entries in the main body of the book give a detailed account of the people, places, events and publications associated with C. S. Lewis. There is also a very useful 'timeline' with the details of C. S. Lewis's life.
The great strength of the READERS' ENCYCLOPEDIA is the large number of its contributors - forty-three Americans. The list of their qualifications, academic and otherwise, gives impressive evidence of the high quality of the contributions. The ENCYCLOPEDIA will inevitably be compared with "C. S. Lewis: A Companion and Guide", equally encyclopedic, but written by Walter Hooper alone.
One test of a reference book of this kind involves looking up a particular item, and having one's eye drawn to other articles close by. The encyclopedia passes this test with honours. Another test is to check entries on which the reader is already well-informed. Here your reviewer checked "St Mark's Church", "Campbell College", Dundela Villas" and "Little Lea" - and was reasonably satisfied. The lives of Albert and Flora Hamilton Lewis are also well presented.
Unfortunately a certain amount of controversy has arisen over the contribution of Walter Hooper to C. S. Lewis studies. Jeffrey D. Schultz, the writer of the entry on Walter Hooper, has been entirely fair to Hooper, balancing Hooper's enormous industry in the editing and publishing, and publicising, of Lewis's works, against the rather doubtful questions of exaggeration and other more serious allegations.
This excellent encyclopedia deserves great praise for the breadth, height and depth of its entries. Highly satisfying in themselves, they always point the way to C. S. Lewis's books, encouraging us to read those books now and into the future. - ANTHONY M. WILSON, October 1998
The BBC Radio Collection (BBC Worldwide Ltd) has recently released THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA COMPLETE TREASURY, a set of 14 audio tapes (one hour each) of all seven of C S Lewis's Narnian stories. The tapes (two in each box) are attractively packaged in a "wardrobe" type gold box, with doors that "open" to the tapes, and with two fur coats "hanging" from the doors. Each tape box comes with an introduction to the individual story and a listing of the actors playing the characters. This collection was "dramatised" by Brian Sibley, who is well-known to followers of C S Lewis as the author of THE LAND OF NARNIA, THE MAGICAL WORLD OF NARNIA, and C. S. LEWIS THROUGH THE SHADOWLANDS. The tape set costs about 50 pounds sterling in England (about $78.00 U.S.); the U.S. set of the stories released by HarperCollins costs about $50.00. Other titles in the BBC Radio Collection include Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS and Hugh Lofting's THE STORY OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE.-Perry Bramlett
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