I can easily say that C.S. Lewis is, hands down, my favorite author. He captured my imagination as a youngster with his Narnia series and had me looking in closets for secret worlds well into my adult years. Then in college he wowed me again with his theological books, "Mere Christianity" and "The Screwtape Letters." On a dark December night in 2008, a priest opened his homily with, "I've been reading a science fiction trilogy by C.S. Lewis...." I knew immediately that a) I had found a kindred spirit in the priest and b) I had to read those books, too!
The second book in that space triolgy, "Perelandra" and "The Problem of Pain," another of C.S. Lewis' more theological books had a profound impact on me. For the first time I can ever remember from my reading career, I had to set the books down, sometimes mid-chapter, in order to allow what I had just read to sink in.
I discovered that C.S. Lewis had an amazing way of expressing himself, whether by storey telling or through logical argumentation, that was much stronger than anything I could ever say. Often in his works he would say something I had tried to express myself, but he said it in a way that I knew millions of people would understand. As of late, I have wondered if one reason he is so profound is simply because he was English - reading the writings of someone who speaks my native tongue will probably provide more value to me than reading something that was translated.
Theologically, I do not know him to have ever stated anything glaringly blasphemous. In fact, I often find him expressing opinions that I had thought only I felt, that I had never expressed to anyone. When I read his essays, I found them relevant to the world I live in, too, and strangely comforting. If he was battling these ideas in the 1950's that I am battling today, then it means that the deterioration of society has bene much slower than he feared.
Once I discovered how amazing he was, I decided to embark upon a journey to read all his books, many of which are collections of essays. While I still would not say that C.S. Lewis has ever written anything bad or boring, in reading through his essays I found a repetitiveness of topics that was a little disheartening, but nothing a few months' break from the author couldn't cure.
But it was in reading "Surprised by Joy," his autobiography, that I began to feel like I knew the man, and it was a little melancholy. Somewhere in the middle of the book I realized that we would not really have been friends. For one, I think I admire him too much to ever have been his friends - I know from personal experience that the more I like someone and want them to like me, the less I feel like they do. But I do think I would have fit well into his circle - perhaps as the girlfriend / wife of his very best friend. You see, I think we are too similar, but if we had a common denominator, someone who found both of our types of logic and thoughtfullness attractive, it would bring us into the same group. But I do think we would butt heads sometimes - either because I am too opinionated, or because I am not eloquent enough to really say what I mean. Of course, the worst part of reading the book was realizing how important literature was to the man. I have read quite a bit of literature and have even gone through a phase of seeking it out. But I have found that "literature" is much like the Oscar winning movie - someone finds it of value, but it is not entertaining in the least bit. One day I should like to go back through "Surprised by Joy" and Lewis' other works, and read through all of his literary references. I go almost mad trying to understand some of his examples. But that was his passion, he made it very clear, and I would never have been able to keep up with that.
Now I find myself about halfway or more through his collection. I am reading, "The Four Loves," which like all Lewis books is incredibly profound. I just realized, having read a section tonight, that it is almost like a discipline I should have. For, each night when I pick up the book, it speaks to me some relevant little tidbit, almost as if C.S. Lewis is speaking to me. "Now Sarah," I can almost read, "In your situation, this is what is going on..." and "The reason you are so upset right now is..." and "In order to move forward and get to a better place you are going to have to...but don't worry..." And so on! I should not be entirely surprised - the man was a Christian, and as such, his books would make for tremendous Bible studies.
How I wish everyone else were reading all his books. We would certainly all be much more educated and thoughtful. But I cannot express the sentiments he puts forth, however much I want to tell my roommate about whatever profound tidbit he most recently put my way. Still, I may have to start the whole exercise over again and make sure that someone in my small circle reads the books along with me...for even having my roommate read it after me does little good if it is a deep discussion I want.
As a final note on C.S. Lewis - I have given him praise as an author and theologian. After the authors of the Bible, I would say he is my favorite Christian writer. I make the disticntion, though, because I know that he was not an inspired biblical writer. In theological terms, he was just an average joe who was uncanny at putting things together. With that said, I have often found a similarity almost in voice between the writings of Paul and C.S. Lewis. Indeed, the narrator in my head usually is the same for both authors. I think this is because Lewis mimicks Paul in ways, and he goes into a depth that Paul goes into. Both are so very careful to try to make things clear. But Lewis has one advantage, for me, that Paul does not, simply that he writes originally in English (as mentioned above) and that I need no context to understand Lewis' writings. I know what World War II was. I don't know all the little nuances of 1st century Rome. Still, I want to make it clear that, between the two writers (or any Bible author for that matter), Lewis is inferior because he was not inspired. But as a person who can take what Paul wrote, what was inspired, and break it down into waht a normal person can understand, then C.S. Lewis is phenomenal and takes the cake!
