C.S. Lewis: Brief Biography (Part 1)

C. S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland on November 29, 1898.

He died the same day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated, November 22, 1963. (Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World also died that same day.)

Lewis's friends and family called him "Jack" because he didn't like his given name. The story goes that he had a dog called "Jacksie" when he was young and when the dog died, Lewis started making everyone call him "Jacksie" which later was shortened to just "Jack".

His full name was Clive Staples Lewis. His father was Albert James Lewis and his mother was Flora Augusta Hamilton Lewis. She died in 1908 when Jack was only 10 years old. Jack's brother, Warren Hamilton Lewis (Warnie) was born on June 16, 1895.

After Jack's mother died, his father sent him away to boarding school in England.

Lewis was very bad at math and if it wasn't for the fact that the university waived the entrance exam for those who had served in the army during WWI, Lewis may not have become the man he did because he failed the math section of the entrance exam.

-------------------------------------------------

If you want to learn more about C. S. Lewis, you could start by reading his autobiography of sorts, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of my Early Life. There are also a number of biographies out there, and of course some are better than others.

His step-son, Douglas Gresham wrote Lenten Lands, My Childhood With C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman

One of the best biographies I have ever read on him was George Sayer's: Jack: C.S. Lewis and His Times

A couple of other important ones would be:

- Walter Hooper and Roger Lancelyn Green's, C.S. Lewis: A Biography

- Walter Hooper's, C.S Lewis: A Companion and Guide

---------------------------------------------

In response to the 31 Day blogging challenge, I will be posting every day in October. You can read previous posts HERE. Follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter to be notified of new posts. You can also Subscribe to get posts sent to you by email. (There is a simple form towards the top on the right where you can do this.)

Feel free to comment with your own thoughts and questions!

Index of Posts (Highlights):
Day 2. C. S. Lewis on Longing (In "The Weight of Glory")
Day 3. C. S. Lewis on Sehnsucht (Longing and Desire in The Weight of Glory)
Day 6: C. S. Lewis: The Intolerable Compliment (The Problem of Pain)
Day 7: C. S. Lewis: What is "The Weight of Glory"?
Day 8: C. S. Lewis: The Great Divorce and The Weight of Glory
Day 9: C. S. Lewis: A Grief Observed
Day 12: C. S. Lewis and Postmodernism (Part 3 - Conclusion)
Day 13: C. S. Lewis: The Grand Miracle (Myth and Allusions)
Day 14: C. S. Lewis: Is Theology Poetry? (Part 1: More on Myth)
Day 15: C. S. Lewis: Is Theology Poetry? (Part 2: Metaphors, Symbols, and Science)
Day 16: C. S. Lewis and The Trilemma Argument in Mere Christianity