An Outline of the Life of C. S. Lewis

Early Life (1898–1916)

1898

Clive Staples Lewis was born on November 29 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His parents, Albert and Flora Lewis, fostered a home filled with books and ideas, inspiring both “Jack” and his older brother Warren to imagine rich worlds and stories long before their teens.

1905

The Lewis family moved to a larger home called “Little Lea” on the outskirts of Belfast. The attic and surrounding gardens became a playground for the brothers’ creativity and storytelling.

1908

Lewis’s mother, Flora, died of cancer when he was nine years old. The loss deeply affected him and shaped his later reflections on love, grief, and belief. Soon afterward, his father sent Jack and Warren to Wynyard School in England, a harsh and unhappy environment that left lasting memories.

1911–1913

Lewis attended schools in Malvern, England, where his fascination with Norse mythology and Wagner’s music sparked what he called a longing for “Northernness.” During these years, his childhood Christian faith faded, replaced by atheism and an interest in myth and imagination as ways to explore meaning.

1914–1916

Under the private mentorship of W. T. Kirkpatrick, known as “The Great Knock,” Lewis studied rhetoric, philosophy, and classical languages. He also began a lifelong friendship with Arthur Greeves, who shared his love of fantasy and literature. In 1916, Lewis won a scholarship to University College, Oxford.

War and Recovery (1917–1919)

1917–1918

Lewis’s studies were interrupted when he enlisted in the British Army during World War I. As an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry, he served in France and was wounded in 1918 near Arras. The experience of trench warfare and the death of his close friend, Paddy Moore, shaped his later understanding of pain and mortality.

1919

After being discharged from service, Lewis returned to Oxford to complete his education. He earned three Firsts between 1920 and 1923 in Greek and Latin, Philosophy and Ancient History, and English. His first published poem, “Death in Battle,” revealed the reflective tone that would remain part of his later work.

Oxford Scholar and Conversion (1920–1933)

1920–1930

Lewis settled into academic life at Oxford and lived with the family of his fallen comrade, Mrs. Janie King Moore, and her daughter, Maureen. The arrangement, which lasted for decades, provided stability and companionship. His academic success grew quickly. He began tutoring in philosophy and, in 1925, was elected a Fellow of Magdalen College, where he would teach for almost thirty years. In 1926, he published his narrative poem Dymer and established his reputation as a promising scholar of English literature.

1929

After years of intellectual struggle, Lewis came to believe in God, describing himself as “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” That same year, his father, Albert, passed away, closing one chapter of his life and opening another centered on questions of faith.

1931–1933

Through conversations with J. R. R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson, Lewis embraced Christianity, a decision that transformed both his scholarship and imagination. His first Christian allegory, The Pilgrim’s Regress (1933), explored humanity’s search for truth and meaning. Around this time, he and Tolkien formed the literary group known as “The Inklings,” which became central to Lewis’s intellectual and creative life.

1935–1939

Lewis dedicated himself to teaching, writing, and research. His major work The Allegory of Love (1936) revolutionized the study of medieval literature and earned him the Gollancz Memorial Prize. His fiction also developed during this period, beginning with Out of the Silent Planet (1938), the first in his science-fiction trilogy that combined theology, myth, and morality.

1941–1945

During World War II, Lewis gained a large audience through his BBC radio broadcasts, which addressed moral and spiritual questions with clarity and compassion. These talks were later expanded into Mere Christianity. His imaginative works, including The Screwtape Letters (1941) and The Great Divorce (1944–45), confirmed his place as one of the century’s most influential Christian authors.

1946–1947

The University of St. Andrews awarded Lewis an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. In 1947 he published Miracles, which presented a reasoned defense of faith in an age increasingly drawn to skepticism.

1950–1955

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia, was published in 1950. Six additional volumes followed over the next few years. Through these stories, Lewis expressed theological ideas in mythic form and reached generations of readers. At the same time, he produced major scholarly works such as English Literature in the Sixteenth Century and his spiritual autobiography Surprised by Joy (1955).

1956

Lewis released two of his most mature works, The Last Battle and Till We Have Faces. He also married Joy Davidman Gresham, first in a civil ceremony and later in a Christian service while she was seriously ill. Their unlikely love story became one of the most moving episodes of his later life.

1958–1961

After Joy’s brief recovery, the couple traveled to Ireland and Greece, journeys that renewed their shared sense of wonder. Her death in 1960 devastated Lewis and led to his deeply personal work A Grief Observed. In the years that followed, he continued to publish thoughtful studies such as The Four Loves and An Experiment in Criticism, exploring affection, imagination, and the ways stories shape human understanding.

1963

Lewis’s health declined during his final years. He died peacefully at his home, The Kilns, on November 22, 1963, the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Headington Quarry, Oxford.