C.S. Lewis: Memories and Reflections

by John Lawlor, Walter Hooper (Foreword by)

As the centenary of the birth of C.S. Lewis approaches and the number of his surviving friends necessarily dwindles, a uniquely personal book by one of these privileged few offers an intimate portrait of Lewis the tutor, scholar, and friend, along with new insights into his towering literary and scholarly achievement. From his rare vantage point as Lewis's student, friend, and professional colleague, Lawlor recalls Lewis "in his habit as he lived." There is an unforgettable account of studying under Lewis and an enchanting depiction of undergraduate life at Oxford between the wars. To round out his picture, Lawlor draws on the recollections of other associated of Lewis, including a close comparison with J.R.R. Tolkien. These sketches are complemented by an exposition of Lewis's science fiction and the Chronicles of Narnia, There is also an assessment of Lewis's neglected notion of "happiness," noting its links with nineteenth-century English romanticism. After measuring Lewis's scholarly achievement, Lawlor concludes with his own understanding of this complex man, in whom "maddening obstinacies and sword-sharp disclaimers co-existed with an untroubled awareness of the highest order." The book is illustrated with previously unpublished personal correspondence, annotations from Lewis's personal library, and a hitherto unrecorded photograph of a young Lewis newly returned to Oxford from the First World War. Walter Hooper, Lewis's literary executor who has contributed the Foreword, calls Lawlor's memoir "a treasure...almost as good as another work from Lewis's pen."

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 1998

Reviews

[Brenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Just enough pretentiousness to be awesome, just enough information to be useful.

[John Martindale · Rating 2 out of 5]

While home visiting my parents, I noticed that my mother borrowed this book from the library, so I decided to give it a read. The book was a disappointment despite the glowing endorsements on the back cover, I can't understand how they read what I read. Lawlor simply was incomprehensible, unclear and scatter-brained. At first I thought the reason I couldn't pull any sense or meaning out of the letters printed on the page was because my dyslexic brain was having a bad day, but the following ones proved to me that it was Lawlor's disorienting writing style. Reading him was like struggling up a mountain but once I finally reached the apogee, the mist was thick that there is no view--no reward for ones effort.

[Joel Zartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lawlor studied with C.S. Lewis and was afterward a teacher of literature. He offers memoirs of his time with Lewis, which are quirky and brilliant, and then he offers some reflections on the works of Lewis, which are indeed interesting. He disagrees with Chad Walsh, for example, on the scene of Weston's humiliation on Malacandra, reveling in it. He also disagrees with everybody on the success of That Hideous Strength as a compelling story. Much insight and a personality as interesting as John Wain's.

[Stan Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The memories were great and interesting. The reflections, over half of the book, dig into the author's analysis of Lewis' writings. They are less than great.

[Billy Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having only just begun this little book, I"m already charmed by the very personal recollections of a student and colleague. Lawlor's description of Lewis arguing a point with another scholar and talking circles around him -- I find that charming. This is a first-person source document and not a strict scholarly work. It may be fan literature.

The last 2/3 is a kind of homily about Lewis' science fiction trilogy, Narnia books, and some other works. I can't imagine such a collection of observations being published today. Charming.

This is a short book and it's weight is slight. What it may lack in rigor, it delivers in warmth. Three stars will suffice for this book will suffer if overpraised. For any who would like to have a long dinner conversation and salon speech from a one who knows the works and who knew the man better than most, this book does that. At this special task, this little book is perfect. Just delightful.

[Leesgoodfood · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book, just what it claimed to be.
It really pays to have read Lewis' books to put into context Lawler's comments and reflections.
I really the enjoyed the sections about his space trilogy and Narnia, as those are the writings of Lewis that I am most familiar with. If I had had an education in medieval literature it would have helped me understand more of his references. And as I did not take Latin ever, I would have appreciated translations (hooray for Google, although sometimes it was difficult).
And I highly recommending familiars with Lewis' writings before reading this. as memories and reflections, the context of the original thoughts matters.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very thorough and very intense. Unlike anything I have read of all his books.