Becoming C. S. Lewis (1898-1918)

Lewis' writings cannot be fully understood apart from a grasp of his formative adolescent years. This detailed portrait of those years offers new insight into his key relationships, his delight in literature, his suffering and struggles, his intense pursuit of joy, and the habits, tastes, and experiences that emerged in his later writings.
- Koorong

"This excellent work will have readers eagerly anticipating the next volume." - Publishers Weekly

The writings of C. S. Lewis cannot be fully understood apart from a grasp of his formative adolescent years. Unfortunately, many biographies speed over this important season of Lewis's life.

Slowing down to focus on his younger years, this detailed portrait of "Jack" Lewis helps us discover seeds of what would inform his later writings - such as his delight in literature, his key relationships, his suffering and struggles, and his intense pursuit of joy.

The chapters unfold the habits and tastes he developed while at boarding school, in college, and in the army, revealing where we see these themes appear in his works--bringing to life the man readers have come to know as C. S. Lewis. Volume 1 in a trilogy offering a comprehensive view of the life of C. S. Lewis.
- Publisher

ENDORSEMENTS:

"Harry Lee Poe's biography of Lewis's early years is an engaging book filled with glimpses of the celebrated author that cannot be found in any other biography of Lewis."

• Lyle W. Dorsett, Director Emeritus, Marion E. Wade Center; Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism Emeritus, Beeson Divinity School; author, And God Came In and Seeking the Secret Place

"'The Child is father of the Man.' Anyone who doubts this observation by Wordsworth should read this excellent new biography of C. S. Lewis. Poe goes into great depth, drawing heavily on unpublished sources, recounting the first two decades of Lewis's life in splendid detail. Even seasoned readers of Lewis will find much that is new and illuminating in this readable biography."

• David C. Downing, Codirector, Marion E. Wade Center

"A unique coming-of-age biography of C. S. Lewis that stands out in revealing how his early life shaped the future Lewis: body, mind, and soul. It vividly captures the whole person of Lewis-not only an aspect of him but also the variety and depth of his defining features. The result is an eye-opening, important, and rich portrait that benefits from the teeming knowledge and thorough research of the author. It includes the often-neglected, lasting significance of the people who impacted the often-solitary young Lewis, with illuminating flash-forwards to the future Lewis."
Colin Duriez, author, C. S. Lewis: A Biography of Friendship and Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship

Publisher Description

:"This excellent work will have readers eagerly anticipating the next volume." -Publishers Weekly

The writings of C. S. Lewis cannot be fully understood apart from a grasp of his formative adolescent years. Unfortunately, many biographies speed over this important season of Lewis's life.

Slowing down to focus on his younger years, this detailed portrait of "Jack" Lewis helps us discover seeds of what would inform his later writings-such as his delight in literature, his key relationships, his suffering and struggles, and his intense pursuit of joy.

The chapters unfold the habits and tastes he developed while at boarding school, in college, and in the army, revealing where we see these themes appear in his works-bringing to life the man readers have come to know as C. S. Lewis. Volume 1 in a trilogy offering a comprehensive view of the life of C. S. Lewis.