Among the most famous works by Irish author C.S. Lewis is The Chronicles of Narnia, the classic allegorical fantasy series for children that appeals to all ages. First published in 1950, the series begins with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The Sharon Playhouse will debut Don Quinn’s play adaptation of this classic starting Wednesday, Dec. 13 and through Dec.17 in The Bok.
The month of November 2023 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Lewis. Born in Belfast, Ireland on Nov. 29, 1898, and then known as Clyde Staples, he authored over 40 books during his lifetime and died when he was 64 on Nov. 22, 1963.
Many of Lewis’ books have remained in print for over ninety years. Remarkably, the print runs have grown as new generations discover his writing.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe series was hugely popular and has been the subject of many television and film adaptations. Some of its most important themes include bravery, friendship, hope, gluttony and, of course, conflicts between good and evil that take place in the kingdom of Narnia.
The young Lewis was definitely not your average toddler. He was reading from the age of three and by five, being influenced by children’s author Beatrix Potter, he had started writing stories about a fantasy land populated by dressed animals. Selections of those early stories were collected in Boxen: The Imaginary World of the Young C.S. Lewis (1985).
Lewis grew up in a family of readers that included his father (Albert Lewis), who was a solicitor; and his mother (Florence Hamilton Lewis), who was a college graduate at a time when it was uncommon for women to earn degrees; and his older brother Warren or “Warnie.”
Lewis and his brother received their early education at home and then attended English boarding schools. While at these schools Lewis was made fun of by both students and the faculty because of his vivid Irish accent. It took him many years to get over his animosity towards the English for this treatment. But he went on to be prepped for the University of Oxford entrance exams and he won a scholarship in classics to University College.
After serving in France with the Somerset Light Infantry in World War I Lewis began his studies at Oxford, where he achieved an outstanding record, became a renowned tutor and later a professor of medieval and Renaissance English.
Lewis originally planned to be a poet and then a philosopher. Though these careers didn’t work out, he did get a second degree at Oxford in English Literature and was able to teach it instead of philosophy. Though he earned only a modest salary as an educator, Lewis set up a charitable trust to give away whatever money he received from his book royalties.
His friends were fellow writers at Oxford, who called themselves The Inklings, and they strongly influenced him as they read aloud their works in progress and critiqued each other. Lewis’ writer friends included J.R.R. Tolkien, who shared some of a massive myth he was creating about Middle Earth. Apparently Tolkien suffered from bouts of writer’s block that could last for years at a time and Lewis gave him the encouragement and prodding that he needed to get through these spells and complete The Lord of the Rings.
Don’t miss seeing The Sharon Playhouse version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.Â
