by 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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