C.S. Lewis: The Creator of Narnia – A Life of Faith and Fantasy

Early Life and Education

Clive Staples Lewis was born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland). He grew up in a bookish household with his older brother Warren (“Warnie”), and parents who encouraged reading. By age three, young Lewis could read on his own, and by age five, he was already inventing stories about talking animals inspired by the works of Beatrix Potter. In childhood, he and Warnie concocted an imaginary world called “Boxen,” populated entirely by anthropomorphic creatures—early evidence of the rich imagination that would later flourish in Narnia. Around this time he also adopted the nickname “Jack,” after the family dog Jacksie; following the dog’s death, the four-year-old Lewis announced he would answer only to “Jacksie,” eventually shortening it to “Jack.” Friends and family called him that affectionate name for the rest of his life.

Lewis’s early education was a mix of wonder and hardship. His mother, Flora, died of cancer when he was nine, a tragedy that deeply affected him. Soon after, young Jack was sent across the sea to England for schooling. His first boarding school, Wynyard in Watford, was a wretched experience: the headmaster was abusive (and later declared insane), and Lewis learned little in that environment. Happier school days followed at Campbell College in Belfast and Cherbourg School in Malvern, where he gained a solid foundation in Greek, Latin, and literature. Nonetheless, he felt socially isolated and intensely unhappy at Malvern College, withdrawing into books and solitary walks. Sensing the damage these experiences were inflicting, his father pulled him out in 1914. For the next few years, Lewis was tutored privately by William T. Kirkpatrick – a family friend he dubbed “The Great Knock” – who trained him rigorously in logic, rhetoric, and the classics. Under Kirkpatrick’s exacting mentorship, Lewis thrived academically and developed a lifelong love of mythology and storytelling. By 1916, he had earned a scholarship to Oxford University.

Before Lewis could fully settle into Oxford, history intervened. World War I was raging, and in 1917, Lewis was drafted into the British Army as an officer. He served on the front lines in France with the Somerset Light Infantry, where he experienced the grim reality of trench warfare. On his 19th birthday, he arrived at the Somme and soon endured the horrors of battle that would later inform some of his pessimistic outlook during youth. In April 1918, he was wounded by friendly fire and shipped back to England to recover. The war claimed the life of his close friend “Paddy” Moore, with whom Lewis had made a pact to care for each other’s families if either man were killed. True to his word, after being demobilized in 1919, Lewis moved in with Paddy’s mother, Janie Moore, forming an unusual household that would last for decades. Once the war ended, Lewis returned to Oxford to resume his studies, bringing Mrs. Moore and her daughter with him.

The Scholar and Writer

Back at Oxford, Lewis threw himself into academia with remarkable success. He completed the rare feat of earning “Triple First” honours in three areas of study: Classics (Greek and Latin literature), Philosophy (ancient history), and English literature. In 1925, at only 26 years old, he was elected a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Magdalen College, Oxford, a position he would hold for nearly three decades. Lewis had initially dreamt of being a poet, and in his twenties, he published two poetry collections—Spirits in Bondage (1919) and Dymer (1926)—under the pseudonym “Clive Hamilton.” These early works gained little attention. Disappointed but undeterred, he turned his talents toward scholarly research and prose. His first academic book, The Allegory of Love (1936), was met with critical acclaim and cemented his reputation as a brilliant medieval and Renaissance literature scholar. By the late 1930s, Lewis was also finding his voice in fiction and non-fiction prose, writing in clear, imaginative language that engaged both academic audiences and general readers.

In the 1930s and 40s, Lewis became part of an influential circle of writers known as The Inklings, who met regularly in Oxford (often at a pub called The Eagle and Child) to read aloud and critique each other’s works. Among this group were J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams, whose camaraderie and feedback spurred Lewis’s creativity. The Inklings sessions became the testing ground for many of Lewis’s stories in progress. During this fertile period, Lewis wrote a pioneering science-fiction trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet (1938), Perelandra (1943), and That Hideous Strength (1945). In these novels, which follow an English linguist’s adventures on Mars and Venus, Lewis wove together space travel with spiritual themes and a cosmic battle of good versus evil. The series is now considered a classic of early science fiction, notable for infusing otherworldly adventure with Christian allegory and philosophical ideas.

Even as he crafted fantasy and sci-fi tales, Lewis maintained a parallel career as a literary critic and academic. He produced erudite works like A Preface to Paradise Lost (1942) and English Literature in the Sixteenth Century (1954), and he was respected for his deep knowledge of myth and medieval literature. In 1954, Cambridge University created a new chair in Medieval and Renaissance Literature expressly for Lewis; he left Oxford to become a professor at Cambridge and spent his final years teaching there. Despite his scholarly achievements, Lewis gained an even wider audience through his popular apologetic and fiction books. During World War II, he delivered a series of radio lectures on Christianity for the BBC, talks that were later compiled into Mere Christianity (1952). He also published The Screwtape Letters (1942), a witty and satirical exchange of letters between two devils. Screwtape became a surprise bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic, making Lewis one of the best-known Christian writers of his day. By the late 1940s, Lewis was juggling roles as an Oxford don, a public intellectual, and a burgeoning author of imaginative fiction—all experiences that set the stage for his most famous creation, Narnia.

A Return to Faith

Lewis’s spiritual journey was as dramatic as any of his stories. Though baptized and raised in a Christian (Protestant) home, he became an avowed atheist in adolescence. The death of his mother, the suffering he witnessed, and his immersion in mythology and rationalism all led him to conclude that the Christian faith was just another comforting legend. By his twenties, Lewis was a skeptic who openly rejected Christianity. However, he could not escape the sense of longing and “Joy” that occasionally pierced his atheism. In his autobiography Surprised by Joy, Lewis describes a recurring, bittersweet yearning for something transcendent – a desire no worldly experience could satisfy. This feeling, which he termed “Joy,” haunted him and hinted that reality might hold more than his materialist worldview allowed.

Key friendships slowly moved Lewis back toward belief. At Oxford, he was surprised to find that some of the most intelligent people he knew were devout Christians. Colleagues like Neville Coghill, Owen Barfield, and above all J.R.R. Tolkien challenged Lewis’s dismissive view of faith. Tolkien, a Catholic, and Lewis had long talks about mythology and truth. In September 1931, after an all-night conversation with Tolkien and another friend (Hugo Dyson) walking among the Oxford grounds, Lewis realized that the story of Christ was a “true myth”: a myth working on us in the same way as others, with the crucial difference that it really happened in history. A few days later, during a ride to the zoo with his brother, the once-staunch atheist quietly accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Lewis later described himself at the moment of surrender as “perhaps the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England” – hardly a triumphant conversion, but an honest one born of reason and imagination converging.

This return to faith transformed Lewis’s life and writing. He soon devoted himself to explaining and defending Christianity in accessible ways. Throughout the 1940s, he wrote popular theological works like The Problem of Pain (1940), Miracles (1947), and The Four Loves (1960), tackling tough questions about suffering, faith, and love. During World War II, the British public heard his voice regularly on the radio, delivering addresses that acknowledged the fears of war and pointed listeners toward faith; these talks made him “a lay expositor of Christian beliefs” for a broad audience. Compiled as Mere Christianity, these broadcasts reached millions and remain in print today as a classic of Christian apologetics. Lewis did not abandon his storytelling – in fact, his renewed faith enlivened it. He believed that fairy tales and fantastical stories could “steal past watchful dragons” of cynicism, carrying spiritual truths in through the back door of the imagination. Nowhere is this more evident than in the magical land of Narnia he was about to create.

The Birth of Narnia

By the late 1940s, C.S. Lewis was a seasoned scholar and a committed Christian thinker—but in an unexpected turn, he began writing a fairy tale for children. The seeds of The Chronicles of Narnia had been planted in Lewis’s mind long before he set pen to paper. As he famously recalled, “The Lion [the Witch and the Wardrobe] all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood.” This image of a gentle faun in a wintry forest had been in his imagination since he was 16 years old, tucked away like a dream waiting to be realized. Decades later, around 1948, Lewis decided “let’s try to make a story about it,” without fully knowing where the tale would lead. He started writing about four children evacuated from London during wartime (drawing from the real experience of children who stayed at his country home during the Blitz ) and how they stumbled upon a magical realm through an old wardrobe. At first, Lewis had only disparate images – a faun, a white witch on a sledge, a regal lion – but, as he put it, “then suddenly Aslan came bounding into it.” The great Lion, an unexpected addition even to the author himself, “pulled the whole story together” and brought in a powerful spiritual dimension that Lewis hadn’t consciously planned.

When “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was published in 1950, readers were introduced to Narnia – a land of talking animals, mythic beasts, and enchantment under the grip of an evil spell. Lewis went on to write six more Narnia books in rapid succession over the first half of the 1950s. Each story unfolded new adventures and characters but remained centered on the majestic figure of Aslan. In Lewis’s conception, Aslan is not a tame lion, but a Christ-like figure – the Christ figure, in fact, if one accepts Narnia as a parallel world. As Lewis later explained, he did not start out intending to preach to children; the Christian elements “pushed themselves in of their own accord” as the story grew. Thus, Aslan emerged as a literary embodiment of Jesus (Lewis wrote that in Narnia, Aslan is the form the Son of God would take) . The series blends biblical themes like sacrifice and resurrection with European fairy tale motifs, classical mythology, and Lewis’s own wartime experiences. In The Magician’s Nephew, for example, he depicts the creation of Narnia through Aslan’s song, echoing the Genesis creation story, while in The Last Battle he offers an apocalyptic finale and a vision of heaven. Importantly, Lewis resisted calling the books straightforward allegory; rather, he preferred to think of them as supposal – “suppose Christ came into a world like Narnia, how might he be represented?” The result was a rich tapestry of meaning that operates on multiple levels, accessible as pure adventure even to those who miss the Christian symbolism.

Lewis’s process in writing Narnia was surprisingly informal. He wrote by hand with pen (having never learned to type due to a childhood thumb deformity and a belief that typewriters disrupted his creative flow). He often read chapters to the Inklings for feedback, though, notably, Tolkien was not an admirer of Narnia’s mélange of creatures from different mythologies. Lewis dedicated Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to his goddaughter, Lucy, telling her that although she had grown too old for fairy tales now, “someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” True to that sentiment, generations of adults have returned to Narnia with as much delight as children. The seven Chronicles of Narnia—The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), Prince Caspian (1951), The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952), The Silver Chair (1953), The Horse and His Boy (1954), The Magician’s Nephew (1955), and The Last Battle (1956)—together form an epic that has captivated readers for over seventy years. Lewis poured into them his love of fairy tales, his theological insights, and the “Joy” that had always stirred his soul. In doing so, he created a world as real and resonant to some readers as our own, a place where ordinary children could become kings and queens and where deep magic meets deeper grace.

Reception and Impact

The initial reception of The Chronicles of Narnia was modest, but word of mouth spread quickly. Children were enchanted by the imaginative world of Narnia, and many adults recognized the stories’ deeper resonance. The books became classics of children’s fantasy literature, praised for their ability to engage young readers while not talking down to them. By the end of the 1950s, Lewis’s Narnia tales were widely read in Britain and beyond. In 1956, the final volume The Last Battle received the Carnegie Medal, Britain’s highest honor for children’s literature, confirming the literary merit of Lewis’s work. Over the subsequent decades, the popularity of Narnia grew to phenomenal levels. To date, the seven books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and have been translated into dozens of languages. Such commercial success is matched by critical and academic interest: scholars have analyzed Narnia’s theological themes, its narrative structure, and even its possible underlying symbolism (for example, one imaginative theory links each book to a planet in medieval cosmology).

Culturally, Narnia has had a far-reaching impact. It has inspired countless readers to explore fantasy literature and has influenced many writers who followed. Iconic fantasy authors like J.K. Rowling and Philip Pullman grew up reading Lewis (Pullman later became one of Narnia’s fiercest critics, which in itself testifies to the series’ significance in the genre). Others, like Neil Gaiman, have paid tribute to Narnia in their own stories – Gaiman once wrote a short story grappling with the fate of one of Lewis’s characters, showing how deeply the mythology had penetrated modern storytelling. In the realm of children’s literature, Narnia helped shape the template of the portal fantasy: ordinary children whisked from our world into a magical land. This concept has been echoed in countless books and media since. Moreover, Narnia’s blend of adventure, moral lessons, and spiritual allegory set a precedent for literature that entertains while provoking thoughtful reflection. Many school curricula include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Prince Caspian to teach narrative and allegory, and readers of all ages continue to find new meanings in the layered story.

Over time, Lewis’s Narnia series has also provoked discussion and debate. Some critics pointed out elements they found problematic, such as perceived sexist treatment of Susan in the final book or stereotyping in the Calormenes (a fictional people in The Horse and His Boy). These debates led a few schools and libraries to challenge or even temporarily ban the books. Lewis’s intent, however, was to convey timeless virtues like courage, faith, forgiveness, and sacrifice, and millions would agree that he succeeded. The enduring love for Narnia is evident in the many adaptations that have emerged. The stories were adapted for British television by the BBC in the late 1980s, bringing Lion, Caspian, Dawn Treader, and Silver Chair to the small screen. A major resurgence of interest came with the big-budget Hollywood films produced in the 2000s: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008), and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) introduced Narnia to a new generation with lavish visuals and star-studded casts. While purists debated the faithfulness of the adaptations, the films were box office hits and reignited global enthusiasm for Lewis’s books. Stage plays, radio dramas, and video games have further expanded Narnia’s presence in popular culture. As of 2025, new adaptations are on the horizon—Netflix is developing fresh Narnia series/films, a testament to the stories’ lasting appeal. From literature to film to everyday language (it’s not uncommon to hear a closet jokingly referred to as a “wardrobe to Narnia”), the Chronicles have left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.

Lesser-Known Facts

Beyond his well-known accomplishments, C.S. Lewis’s life contains many intriguing tidbits that even devoted fans might find surprising:

• He was “Jack” to his friends – Lewis absolutely loathed the name Clive. After his childhood pet dog Jacksie was killed by a car, the four-year-old declared his own name was now Jacksie. He eventually accepted “Jack,” and to intimates he was Jack Lewis ever after. In fact, when friends like Tolkien spoke of “Jack,” they meant C.S. Lewis.
• War & a promise led to an unusual living arrangement – After World War I, Lewis honored a battlefield pact by taking care of his fallen comrade’s mother. Mrs. Janie Moore lived with Lewis from 1919 until 1951, running his household. Lewis never publicly explained their relationship (she was 26 years his senior), and it remains a subject of speculation. But those close to him observed the deep sense of duty and care Lewis showed in providing for her.
• He was wary of Narnia on the big screen – Surprisingly, Lewis was opposed to live-action adaptations of Narnia in his lifetime. In the 1950s, he felt that film technology could not convincingly render talking animals and magical creatures and feared they would become either ludicrous or grotesque on screen. He remarked that seeing his characters “taken out of narrative into actual visibility” would risk turning them into “buffoonery or nightmare.” (It’s ironic that long after his death, CGI advances allowed Narnia to triumph on film.)
• He gave away royalties (and nearly went broke) – Despite his fame, Lewis did not grow rich from his books. In fact, he gave away a majority of the royalties from his Christian writings to charity. He quietly set up a charitable trust, the Agape Fund, to distribute money to those in need – including widows, orphans, and church ministries – all anonymously. This generosity led to an awkward moment when Lewis discovered he owed taxes on income he had already donated. His close friend (and lawyer) Owen Barfield had to sort out the mess so Lewis wouldn’t get in trouble with the tax authorities. Lewis’s selflessness was genuine: he truly lived out the principle that it is “better to give than to receive.”
• He never learned to type – Unlike many writers of the 20th century, Lewis wrote everything longhand or dictated to his brother. Part of the reason was physical – his thumbs had only a single joint, a congenital condition that made typing painful – and part was aesthetic. The clacking of typewriter keys, he believed, interfered with the “rhythms and cadences” of prose. So Lewis happily stuck to pen and ink, crafting eloquent sentences in cursive script.
• A shared date with Kennedy – Lewis died on November 22, 1963, just shy of his 65th birthday. The world scarcely noticed his passing at first, because on that very day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and novelist Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) also died. This eerie coincidence of three notable deaths on one day was later the subject of a book (Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft) imagining a postmortem conversation between Kennedy, Huxley, and Lewis.

Quotes and Wisdom

Throughout his writings, C.S. Lewis shared many profound insights on faith, imagination, love, and life. Here are a few notable quotes that capture the essence of his wisdom:

• On Faith: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else.” This famous analogy, from one of his essays, illustrates how Lewis saw Christianity not just as an observed fact but as the lens through which all of reality gained meaning and light. It’s engraved on his memorial stone in Westminster Abbey – a fitting epitaph for a man who found in faith a new way to view the world.
• On Imagination and Growing Up: “When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” Here, Lewis turns a biblical reference on its head to champion the value of childlike wonder. He often argued that loving fairy tales or fantasy as an adult is a sign of maturity, not immaturity. This quote (cheekily aimed at critics who sneer at “children’s stories”) reflects his belief that one should never outgrow a healthy imagination. After all, Lewis at age 50 was unapologetically reading fairy tales in public that he would have been shy to read at 10!
• On Love and Vulnerability: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.” In The Four Loves, Lewis offers this poignant observation about the risks of love. He reminds us that the only way to avoid heartache is to lock our hearts up and never love – but that, in his view, leads to a life that is empty and cold. Lewis, who lost his beloved wife Joy to cancer after only a few years of marriage, knew the cost of love. This quote encapsulates his hard-won belief that love, with all its vulnerability, is still worth it.
• On Longing for “Another World”: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”   This line from Mere Christianity speaks to the sense of divine homesickness Lewis often wrote about. He argued that our deepest longings – what he called “Joy” – point beyond the material world. Just as hunger implies food and thirst implies water, our yearning for something transcendent implies that something real can satisfy it, ultimately in “another world” (heaven). It’s a beautifully logical case for hope beyond what we can currently see.

Legacy and Influence

C.S. Lewis’s legacy is multifaceted and enduring. As a writer, he left an extraordinary range of works: literary criticism that is still cited by scholars, Christian apologetics that continue to challenge and inspire believers, and fantasy literature that has fired the imaginations of millions. Few authors manage to excel in both academic and popular spheres the way Lewis did. Decades after his death, his books remain in print, and new editions, translations, and audiobooks keep appearing, bringing his voice to each new generation. In 2013, on the 50th anniversary of his passing, Lewis was honored with a memorial in Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey, London – an extraordinary recognition for a 20th-century author. At the dedication ceremony, his stepson Douglas Gresham read from The Last Battle, a scene of a great reunion “further up and further in” – a moving tribute to Lewis’s imaginative vision of heaven. This permanent place among Britain’s literary giants symbolizes how influential Lewis has become in the canon of English literature.

In the realm of fantasy and children’s literature, Lewis’s influence is second only to perhaps his friend Tolkien. The land of Narnia set the standard for the magical portal adventure, and its success helped legitimize fantasy as a genre not just for children, but for adults as well. Authors from diverse backgrounds acknowledge their debt to Lewis’s storytelling. Moreover, Lewis’s ability to infuse profound ideas into accessible narratives has influenced creators of other media—from filmmakers who adapt moral allegories into blockbusters, to songwriters and game designers who sneak “bits of Aslan” into their work. Narnia’s lion-hearted ethos of hope, redemption, and courage has become a cultural touchstone. The name Aslan is now virtually synonymous with a noble protector; references to Turkish Delight (the sweet that tempted Edmund) or phrases like “always winter and never Christmas” immediately evoke Narnia for those in the know.

Lewis’s impact on Christian thought and apologetics is equally significant. Mere Christianity remains a foundational text for many exploring the faith, and his logical yet imaginative style of argument (full of analogies and lucid metaphors) has shaped how Christianity is communicated in the modern era. He demonstrated that profound truths can be conveyed in plain language and stories. Churches, study groups, and even online communities continue to draw on his writings for insight into topics like morality, suffering, and the meaning of joy. The C.S. Lewis Institute and the C.S. Lewis Foundation carry on his work by promoting study and discussion of his ideas, while numerous biographies and documentaries explore his life from different angles – each trying to understand the man who was equally at home debating philosophy, exploring mythic worlds, and penning letters to children about their pet rabbits. His personal story of conversion from staunch atheism to devout Christianity also continues to resonate, showing that a sharp intellect need not be at odds with deep faith.

Perhaps the greatest testament to Lewis’s legacy is the simple fact that people keep reading and loving his work. Whether it’s a child discovering Narnia for the first time, a student grappling with The Screwtape Letters, or a scholar poring over his analysis of Milton, C.S. Lewis continues to speak across time. His blend of reason and romance – what he once called the marriage of “logarithms and fairy tales” – remains a unique contribution to literature and thought. In a way, Lewis himself lives on in Narnia. Every time a reader opens the wardrobe door and steps into that snowy wood, meeting a friendly faun or hearing Aslan’s roar, the spirit of Jack Lewis is there, whispering that there is more than what we see. Further up and further in! – the adventure he began continues, inviting us to follow.

Sources: C.S. Lewis’s life and writings are well documented in biographies and his own memoir, Surprised by Joy. Key facts and quotations above are drawn from reputable sources including Britannica, the official C.S. Lewis website and timeline, Christian History Magazine, and Lewis’s published letters and essays. The Chronicles of Narnia, which have sold over 100 million copies, remain his most celebrated legacy, continuously in print and adapted into films and more. As both a scholar and a storyteller, Lewis has left an indelible mark on literature, scholarship, and the hearts of readers who return to Narnia time and time again.