The 11 letters, written between 1944-1960 by the east Belfast-born author, were presented to Queen’s University yesterday so they can be viewed by the public.
Capt. Acworth’s son, the Rev. Dr. Richard Acworth, has donated the letters after visiting Queen’s last year with his daughter Phyllida, who is a Queen’s graduate.
In Captain Acworth’s letters to Lewis, he corresponded with views on the incompatibility of evolution and Christianity.
Lewis returns with his views on the question of origins.
The yellowing letters, penned in black ink and inscribed with spidery writing, were uncovered in a suitcase in the attic of Rev. Dr. Acworth’s home in Portsmouth a few years after his dad’s death in 1963. Rev. Dr. Acworth said the letters suggest that Lewis’s view that evolution and Christianity were compatible began to change later in his life.
“My father had a particular view: he was strongly opposed to the teaching of evolution of being certainly true and the full explanation of things and he got in touch with CS Lewis about this,” he said.
“Originally Lewis was more or less agnostic on that subject but it seems in the course of the correspondence he gradually became much more of my father’s way of thinking.”
He said the letters contained insights into various aspects of Lewis’ private life, “including when he married his wife at her bedside in hospital as she was dying of cancer and she seemed to make a miraculous recovery”.
“He also talks of visiting Donegal, describing the scenery in north Donegal as ‘lovely’ and south Donegal as having a ‘sinister character’.
“I am delighted that my daughter Phyllida, a Queen’s English graduate, is here with me today.
“I know my father would have been happy to have his letters preserved as part of the CS Lewis collection at Queen’s.”
Deirdre Wildy, head of special collections and archives at Queen’s, said: “We are delighted to be in receipt of the Acworth Collection, and will be pleased to facilitate access to the letters as they are likely to be of great interest to researchers in several subject areas.
“This generous donation will be a valuable addition to our manuscript holdings in Special Collections and Archives at Queen’s.”
