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What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: June 17th, 2009, 7:08 pm
by PDYER
Does anyone have a compiled list of what C.S. Lewis's personal library contained? His favorite authors?

Re: What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: June 30th, 2009, 1:18 am
by nomad
I don't know of any list, but Lewis' own comments would indicate that George MacDonald would have a prominent spot. Also some Dorothy Sayer titles. And I imagine a slew of Medieval and classical literature would be included - in several languages.

Re: What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: June 30th, 2009, 3:24 pm
by mgton
The following link has a list Lewis made of the most influential books he read concerning philosophical an religious matters. http://www.scriptoriumnovum.com/l/books.html

Re: What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: July 1st, 2009, 3:20 am
by nomad
Ooo, thanks for that link mgton. Very nice. And how could I have not thought of Chesterton and Charles Williams. I tried the Aeneid once, but only made it about half way through... and I expect Lewis probably read it in the original Latin. Whew!

Re: What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: July 1st, 2009, 5:19 pm
by Tuke
Good link, thanks!

Re: What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: July 3rd, 2009, 8:11 pm
by larry gilman
Lewis mentions many authors in his writings (e.g., throughout Surprised by Joy). William Morris and H. Rider Haggard both got essays of their own -- apart of course from the many authors whom he wrote about professionally. But when it came to reading for love and pleasure, I get the impression that for Lewis there was often no distinction between work and play.

Yet he referred to only one author as "my master": George MacDonald. And of the writings of MacDonald, the one that clobbered Clive hardest and first was the dream-novel Phantastes. Though he also loved the dream-novel Lilith and MacDonald's explicitly religious books, the three volumes called Unspoken Sermons.

Re: What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: August 7th, 2009, 11:45 pm
by Lirenel

Re: What did C.S. Lewis

PostPosted: August 8th, 2009, 7:46 pm
by postodave
Anyone interested in Dorothy Sayers should keep an eye on BBC Radio 7. Apart from the occasional Peter Wimsey dramatization they have recently broadcast her cycle of plays on the life of Christ 'The Man Born to be King'. Lewis reckoned to read this every lent. After reading her book on the trinity (The Mind of the Maker - a remarkable book republished a few years ago with an intro by Susan Howatch) he had a go at one of the Wimsey novels (Gaudie Night which is referred to in MOM) and did not like it, but as he said he did not like detective novels. Here's a link for BBC 7 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/programmes/a-z/player no Sayers at the moment but keep checking. You also get Lewis dramatizations as well - tends to be the space trilogy - and some children's classics. God bless the BBC I say.