The Narnian (The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis)

“The Narnian is thoughtful, intriguing and inspiring—a treasure for Narnia fans, as well as aficionados of fine biography.”—Booklist

The Narnian is unlike other biographies on C. S. Lewis. Author Alan Jacobs seeks a more elusive quarry: an understanding of the way Lewis’s experiences, both direct and literary, formed themselves into patterns―themes that then shaped his thought and writings, especially the stories of Narnia.

Jacobs explores the imagination of C.S. Lewis and the themes and life events that contributed to The Chronicles of Narnia. You’ll read about:

• Lewis’s childhood days in Ireland playing with his brother.
• The horrific experiences of World War I.
• Lewis’s friendships with J. R. R. Tolkien and other members of the “Inklings.”
• His marriage to Joy Davidman.
• Other life experiences that shaped Lewis’s philosophy, theology, and fiction writing.

This biography is for believers and non-believers. As the Minneapolis Star Tribune said, “Jacobs has written a mind-chew of a biography—not only a portrait of a dazzling writer but also a defense of Lewis as a seeker and thinker, a man who embraced and questioned his faith with equal parts pain and zeal.”