Clive Staples Lewis (known as Jack to his family and friends) lost his mother at a young age which affected him deeply and made him question his beliefs. He was a professor at Oxford where he was great friends with J. R. R. Tolkien, who was such a deep influence upon him that he became a champion of the Christian faith, writing many books. His most famous books are the Narnia books, which for those books alone, I believe he deserves a spot in Westminster Abbey. (Although, you can't help but wonder if Tolkien might have felt a bit...not annoyed, but dismayed perhaps, because Lewis kept to his Anglican faith instead of Roman Catholic like Tolkien!)
Wouldn't you love to go to Oxford and visit where C. S. Lewis lived? Well, guess what, Laura from her blog, Happy Homemaker UK has already done that for you! And she said it was perfectly fine for me to link to her post...so please do not miss her fantastic photos! You may find it here!
This is the quote that is on his memorial stone...
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.
I very much believe that C. Lewis deserves a memorial in Westminster Abbey, this house of worship.
I could not agree with you more. And The Problem of Pain and Mere Christianity are two of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Connie. I really love the way that he wrote, fiction and non-fiction.
DeleteOh my gosh, just today I heard a program on the CBC that featured an interview (repeat from a few years ago) with the author of a CS Lewis biography. I didn't get to hear the whole thing, but part of it was a real surprise. I'll see if I can find a link... http://www.cbc.ca/rewind/episode/2013/11/21/the-overlooked-news-of-november-1963-1/
ReplyDeleteand I think the interview can be heard here:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/The+Sunday+Edition/Full+Episodes/2010/ID/1938002620/
Thanks for directing me to these sites! I also found something on BBC that has his step-son, Douglas speaking of being a teenager and hearing of Kennedy's death first, and then, being brought the sad news of the death of C. S. Lewis. It was quite moving.
DeletePoor CS Lewis -- his passing was completely overshadowed, wasn't it? Sort of like Mother Theresa dying on the same day as Princess Di. Anyway, isn't Charles Dickens honoured at Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey? He wasn't a poet either.
ReplyDeleteI remember friends from my church saying that Mother Theresa would not have wanted a lot of attention to her death, by dying so closely to Princess Diana, that came true.
DeleteI think the same could be said for C. S. Lewis.
Charles Dickens! I love him too!
I've just been re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia! Every time I do, I pick up more and more of the underlying philosophy and the particular message of each volume. They are gems, as are his other works. I have an original edition of "Christian Morality" (which later became part of "Mere Christianity"), and boy does it pack a wallop. And I have a set of cassette tapes of the man himself speaking on "The Four Loves". He spoke just as he wrote - simply, directly, and rationally. He is one of my Christian and literary heroes - I so admire his ability to express complex ideas words of few syllables.
ReplyDeleteThat is a wonderful quote on his memorial - he was such an eminently quotable person. One of my favourite Lewisisms is "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." :)
P.S. His birthday is this month, too - he shared it with Louisa May Alcott.
I very much agree with you. I really love language that is simple and direct but not childish.
DeleteAnd the quote that you gave me is also etched in glass at his home in Oxford!
Look at that post I mentioned and you will see it!
Thanks very much for your comment. And I knew it was his birthday at the end of the month, it is very close to my son's!!
O, I absolutely love C.S. Lewis. Such a brilliant writer and such wonderful humour. The Four Loves, and of course the Narnia series, are two of my favourites. (As an aside though, just a week ago my Mom came in, going, "How could anyone name their son 'Staples'?")
ReplyDeleteMe too, Janice, I love him!
DeleteAnd I wonder that "Staples" must be a family name. I knew a girl from school whose middle name was Stone!
The Narnia books have had a great influence on me during my childhood. I think it is not exaggerated to say that they shaped my childhood. I still have them on my shelf, and re-read them from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI know little of Lewis' life, and certainly did not know that he died on the same day as JFK. Once again, Kay, I was able to learn something from your blog - thank you!
I wonder if you ever saw the movie, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader"? It was directed by one of my favorite directors, Michael Apted, and I thought it was wonderful. If you get the chance, make sure to see it, I love it. Sometimes beloved books brought to the screen can be disappointing, but I think this one was really good.
DeleteI own the three newest Narnia movies on DVD/bluray, and love all of them. They are very close to the books.
DeleteI just realized that I never saw the second one, but the first film and the 3rd one, I really enjoyed. Thanks, now I know I need to see the 2nd one! xx
DeleteHis writings are poetic, so Poet's Corner is perfect. Didn't realize he'd died on the same day as Kennedy.
ReplyDeleteI think he deserves it too.
DeleteIt's just a coinicendence that he died the same day as JFK but I think of C.S. Lewis on that date as I think of JFK also.
Aldous Huxley also passed into eternity that day.
ReplyDeleteA conspiracy theorist might say that the shooting(s) was designed to blunt the remembrance of CSL and AH.
Kind Regards
Henry
A conspiracy theorist can find anything it seems!
DeleteI also knew that Aldous Huxley died on the same day but I thought that someone else would mention it in the comments!
Thanks for you comment, Henry!
Next time you are in London, go and photograph this for me at Westminster Abbey, would you? You know you would brave the crowds for me! xx
That quote is very beautiful.. and so are the last photo!
ReplyDeleteBlessed Sunday to you:-)
I know, that quote alone should allow him space at Poet's Corner!
DeleteThat is a sunrise that Richard took from our front door!
Hope you are having a wonderful week. xx
I am so pleased that he has his memorial there! I had not realised that he died on the same day as Kennedy. My life would have been very different and far less rich without both of these gentlemen and I owe them each for the inspiration they gave to me in their own ways.
ReplyDelete"Inspiration they gave to me in their own ways"...yes, that is it exactly, I so much agree with you.
DeleteThanks for your comment!
We lost our little black cat this year, we first got her in 1997. xx
How lovely. I'm glad that CS Lewis has a stone in Poet's Corner too. xoxox
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol! I hope to get back to Westminster Abbey one day and see this stone! xx
DeleteHope you are doing well these days! :-)
I loved CS Lewis' Narnia books when I was a little girl. Thanks for letting us know he died on the same day JFK was shot. I never knew that before. It's also good to know a memorial service was held at Westminster this week for this great Belfast born writer.
ReplyDeleteYes! C. S. Lewis was born in Ireland, and I should have mentioned it in my post, so I thank you for having this here in your comment.
DeleteOf course, JFK was very proud of his Irish roots, as you well know!
This is a good thing -- his Voyage of the Dawn Treader earned him a place of honor in my heart.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! Did you see my reply to Meike above? I LOVED the movie that they made from this book, it is so worth watching!
DeleteHe certainly had a lovely house. Great writers that create worlds that live on in the imagination never really die anyway.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Great words and great music are with us forever for enjoy and appreciate.
DeleteLewis' original ambition was to be a poet, and he wrote poetry all his life. There is a collection entitled "Poems" (edited by Walter Hooper). Lewis was, perhaps, not a great poet, but wrote some very good things.
ReplyDeleteLATE SUMMER
I, dusty and bedraggled as I am,
Pestered with wasps and weeds and making jam,
Blowzy and stale, my welcome long outstayed,
Proved false in every promise that I made,
At my beginning I believed, like you,
Something would come of all my green and blue.
Mortals remember, looking on the thing
I am, that I, even I, was once a spring.
I don't know about anyone else but I, for one, think that this is a very good poem!
DeleteEven if he had not written one single poem in his life, I still think that for his body of work, he deserves a spot in Westminster Abbey!
Thanks very much for leaving this poem by C. S. Lewis. I can relate to that "dusty and bedraggled"!
I didn't know that it was the same date as JFK either though it was before my time anyway. People get far too uptight with silly rules about whose allowed to go where. He was a very talented and inspiring man and that's really all that counts. It's been years since I visited Westminster Abbey but my friend lives near Oxford so I've been there many times - a surprisingly small city but beautiful architecture. x
ReplyDeleteHey Julie!
DeleteHow lucky that you have a friend who lives in Oxford. I would dearly love to see it.
Have you ever been inside St. Margaret's Church, which is on the grounds of Westminster Abbey? I went there once and think it is well worth a visit.
I haven't seen a photo of the memorial stone yet, so thank you for posting! I love reading all the comments above - it is amazing what an impact one author made on so many. Thank you for the link :) - P.S. I didn't know about the Princess Di/ Mother Theresa connection - new fact for the day!
ReplyDeleteThank YOU, Laura!
DeleteI love to read your blog but I must admit to a real longing to jump on a plane when I see your fantastic photos from there!
And I am glad that you read the comments above, I have the nicest, most intelligent folks who read my blog!