A Northern Ireland CS Lewis fan has come forward with a letter from the author which he stumbled across in a public auction. The Co Down man, who wishes to remain anonymous, came across the find in a Belfast auction some years ago, but has now dug it out to have it inspected in the wake of the global success of the CS Lewis film, The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe.
He said: “I found it among a lot of items which appeared to be a house clearance and it was actually sitting in a copy of one of his books, The Screwtape Letters. “It is nice to have it as he is a writer I greatly respect. “It was written from his home, The Kilns in England, to a lady in Belfast during the 1940s and he was simply telling her about the publication date for his next book. “I have read various biographies about him and was aware that he used a reference number on every letter he wrote, and this one is no exception.” Former chairman of the CS Lewis Centenary Group, James O’Fee, said: “When CS Lewis first became famous he would have been getting hundreds of letters every day and it was his policy to reply to each one by return post. “Although this doesn’t sound like a very substantial letter, it just shows you that such items can turn up in the most unexpected places.”
[By Philip Bradfield]