C. S. Lewis: The Authentic Voice

by William Griffin

This innovative biography recreates the life of C.S. Lewis with striking impact. The biographer allows the reader direct access to the man. He provides a narrative in which Lewis speaks for himself at every turn. This book brings to life a vivid and multi-faceted portrait of Lewis - a thousand scenes flash by like frames on the screen. From the pages of this book, he emerges as an active, energetic man, who handled personally an amazing range of correspondence, who looked like a farmer but talked like a philosopher, who relished the love of friends, who was surprised by the love of a woman, and who cultivated the love of God. 'Lewis walks onto the stage...speaking as if in a one-character show, and holds our attention...to the very end of the book.', says "Chicago Tribune".

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

William Griffin (born Henry William Griffin), the author of the biography Clive Staples Lewis: A Dramatic Life, was an editor, novelist, journalist, literary agent, and publishing consultant. He has anthologizes the works not only of C. S. Lewis, but also of J. B. Phillips. Dorothy L. Sayers, Fulton J. Sheen, and Billy Graham.

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the easiest book I have read, and because of the way that the author allows the author to speak for himself using letters and other source material, it does give the book a sort of disjointed feel. I also felt that sometime because Lewis was such a clever cookie and covers all sorts of subjects and obviously has in depth understanding of a wide range of disciplines, I felt I was missing some things because my knowledge of what he was talking about was not as wide. One does however understand that here is an atheist who has become a follower of Jesus, and is able to now give constructive logical reason why one should believe. I have read quite of a lot of Lewis, and of course Tolkien, and so this book gave me a new feel, a good one, to what I have already read.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in the week that marked the 50th anniversary of Lewis' death so there was a lot of other material in the media to accompany my reading (eg the excellent Screwtape adaptation on Radio 4). As a chronological biography using mainly letters and diaries it is perhaps a little unusual and self-selecting, after all only a certain type of person retains correspondence or commits every thought to a diary. Lewis does appear as both the disconnected academic and the extraordinarily generous friend to all, although the misogyny does grate from time to time. The late marriage really does come across as a delightful shock to him, and a bit of a triumph for the female reader of so much blokey, clubbish bachelordom. The difference between the pride in his academic achievement and the humility in his Christian 'work' is also remarkable. A timely read and one that makes me keen to re-read Lewis and pick up the acclaimed McGrath biography.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very in depth book laid out chronologically, and very easy to read.

I enjoyed every moment of this book, from the walks to and from Magdalene, to the huge pivotal moments of his life.
His brother, Warren, wasn't portrayed in the most favourable light, and I am unsure of how biased that slant was. I was fascinated with the company he kept, his never ending correspondence, and was surprised to learn that he actually was a strong voice for Christianity. I do have some of his other works, and am very much looking forward to reading them

[Scott Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

TMI

[Brian Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very refreshing read about Lewis. A sort of Boswell's life of Johnson applied to Lewis, but without the voice and person of Lewis' "Boswell" not present. The book made up entirley of quotes from and about Lewis, anecdotes and recollections from a wide number of sources.

At first, thought it was going to be disappointing - virtually all of the material was from familiar sources, but as it progressed there was more and more new material.

A really enjoyable read. Also a very convenient book for reading over meals, as each chronological chapter was split into sections ranging from 2 or 3 lines, up to 3 pages in length.