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Which Biography should I read?

The man. The myth.

Which Biography should I read?

Postby mgton » January 19th, 2007, 4:19 am

Until now I have intentionally avoided any bio's of Lewis. I have been reading his works for the last few years (surprised by joy included) and now I want to read a bio of him. I have a good understanding of his work (non-fiction more so than fiction) but I don't know much at all about Lewis the man. So I'm looking for a personal bio that emphasizes his life, what he was like, his interests etc (surprised by Joy is great for understanding the evolution of his thought, but pretty slim when it comes to personal stuff). At the same time, I don't want to read a piece of garbage that reads like a tabloid. You get the idea.

These are the ones I have heard about the most
:

Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis - George Sayer (is this different than C.S. Lewis and His Times?)

C. S. Lewis: A Biography - Walter Hooper and Roger Green

C. S. Lewis: A Biography - A. N. Wilson

Jack's Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis - Douglas Gresham

Lenten Lands - Douglas Gresham

What about these:

Letters of C.S. Lewis

3 volumes of Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis

The first two bio's (sayers and hooper) seem to be praised the most...so which one would you read if you could only read one? Or are the letters the more informative choice? It would really be great if someone who has read multiple bio's could tell me the difference between them (what they focus on) so I can decide which to read.
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Postby Pete » January 19th, 2007, 4:26 am

You should be aware that Lenten Lands isn't so much a biography about Lewis as it is Douglas Gresham's autobiography. :smile:

A.N Wilson's C.S Lewis: A Biography is certainly an interesting read...however, if you've idolized Lewis this one is a good one to break the shell. :wink:

The others I can't claim to have read, however, I have read several very good reviews of Jack's Life: The Story of C.S Lewis by Douglas Gresham, and the reasons he mentioned for writing it make me all the more convinced that I would like to read that biography of Lewis the next time I read a biography of him - if that's saying anything! :smile:
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Postby carol » January 19th, 2007, 5:53 am

I heartily recommend the Sayer one. It has a very good name. I have it, and use it as a source.

I suggest you look at the "Bio" link above, for further info.

Jack's Life, by Doug Gresham, is a nice account too, starting in a style quite accessible for children, and becoming more adult as the story goes on.
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Postby mgton » January 19th, 2007, 6:10 am

Yeah, it seems like A.N. Wilson's book has inspired quite a few threads on this website. I skimmed through some old threads about that book, and it seems like half the people think it's a real piece of trash, while some try and defend it.

It's kinda funny because I'm a big Bob Dylan fan and there is the same exact controversy over one of his biographers. The majority of Dylan fans will tell you that this particular biography sucks and that it's vindictive and trashy; but then there are some who think that everything in it is true (I can't remember the name of this biographer if anyone was interested; I'm not as big of a fan as I used to be). This is why I am asking these questions before I decide which one to read. By the way, even though I am absolutely and completely ignorant of anything that is in the A.N. Wilson book, or of any of the true and undistorted facts concerning Lewis's life, it seems to me that biographers will sometimes decide to write a "controversial" biography that is different from the others. Again, I don't know if this is the case but it seems to happen a lot, especially when there are numerous pre-existing bio's. Seriously though, I'm looking for the best info no matter where it comes from, but lets not make this a A.N. Wilson thread.
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Postby Leslie » January 19th, 2007, 7:14 pm

I haven't yet read Hooper and Green or Wilson. I second Carol's vote for Sayer. Gresham's Jack's Life is quite derivative; there's little in it that wasn't in Sayer or Surprised by Joy. I'd also recommend Alan Jacobs' The Narnian.
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Postby Esther » January 20th, 2007, 12:39 am

I've read Jack's Life by Gresham, which is perfectly good, but not very extensive. I would recommend it if you're looking for a quick overview of Lewis's life, with an emphasis on his domestic experiences. I have also read The Narnian by Alan Jacobs, which I also thought good. Regarding the details of his life, it didn't contain much information which I hadn't already come across other places, and much of it is based on the personal letters, which made parts of the book somewhat repetitious, as I am already reading the letters. Jacobs' literary criticism of Lewis's work is very interesting, however (Jacobs himself is an English professor at Wheaton College), and I would recommend it primarily on that account.

I have not read the Sayer or Hooper/Green bios yet, but I believe they are generally considered to be the classic Lewis biographies, and the ones upon which most subsequent work is based. And they have the further interest of being written by people who knew him personally.

I also would recommend reading the letters, if that is interesting to you. I'm nearly through the first volume, and I have found them highly interesting and entertaining.
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Postby Ward » January 20th, 2007, 3:39 am

Bruce L. Edwards has said somewhere that the perfect Lewis biography has yet to be written. So you may have to read more than one until you are satified with the insight and understanding they provide. Some people go beyond the major biographies to the same sources that the biographers use: the collections of letters. They, in effect, want to form their own mental picture of Lewis. Having said that, here's my quick listing of the biographies:

C. S. Lewis: A Biography - Hooper and Green (1974): "dated, and somewhat misleading" - Bruce L. Edwards

C. S. Lewis: A Biography - A. N. Wilson (1990): It's hit and miss with Wilson. You could probably skip this one.

Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis - George Sayer (1994): "The most sympathetic and readable biography" as of July 1996. - Bruce L. Edwards

The Narnian - Alan Jacobs (year ?): In my opinion, the most enjoyable and insightful yet (but that may be because I've read other books in addition to the above).
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Postby Bill » January 20th, 2007, 2:28 pm

There is no such thing as a perfect biography. No-one can know everything about someone's life. "Jack" is very comprehensive but if you are really interested in finding all you can about C S Lewis I would advise reading every biography you can get hold of.

Although it's not very popular here, I really enjoy A N Wilson's bio. :wink:

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Postby Ward » January 20th, 2007, 7:54 pm

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Postby Pindar » January 22nd, 2007, 11:47 am

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Postby jo » January 24th, 2007, 3:50 pm

I've read the WIlson and the Hooper and enjoyed both of those, though I gather that the former is considered controversial..
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Biographies

Postby arthur111 » January 24th, 2007, 6:14 pm

I liked the Sayer and the Hooper-Green biographies best. These men knew Lewis in the flesh. And knew him personally not just professionally. But remember Lewis's own warning about "Personal Heresy". I started off reading the biographies first (becaused I liked Bio's). Now I wish I hadn't.
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Postby Adam Linton » January 27th, 2007, 1:24 am

My own first recommedation would be the Sayer bio, as well. A strong second choice would be the Hooper-Green. Alan Jacobs' The Narnian very much worth the read, as well.
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Postby carol » January 28th, 2007, 7:58 am

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Sayer's biography - - emphatically!

Postby Dale Nelson » January 28th, 2007, 11:21 pm

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