Few names in 20th-century literature carry as much weight as C. S. Lewis. An Oxford professor, a beloved author of fantasy, and a sharp defender of Christian faith, Lewis lived a life that continues to fascinate readers across the world. Born on 29 November 1898 in Belfast, Ireland, he went on to write more than 30 books, including The Chronicles of Narnia, which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. This article explores his journey from atheism to Christianity, his major works, and his enduring legacy.
Born: 29 November 1898, Belfast, Ireland ·
Died: 22 November 1963, Oxford, England ·
Notable works: The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters ·
Occupation: Author, literary scholar, Anglican lay theologian
Quick snapshot
- British author born in 1898 (Britannica, the authoritative encyclopedia)
- Oxford professor and Christian apologist (C.S. Lewis Official Site, the official publisher’s resource)
- Author of The Chronicles of Narnia (Britannica)
- Exact wording of his last words – multiple accounts exist
- Whether he fully changed his views on certain theological issues later in life
- 1898: Born in Belfast
- 1931: Converted to Christianity
- 1950–1956: Published Narnia series
- 1963: Died on 22 November
- Continued adaptations of his works
- Ongoing scholarly interest in his theological and literary legacy
Six key facts, one pattern: Lewis’s life was marked by intellectual achievement and spiritual transformation.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Clive Staples Lewis |
| Born | 29 November 1898, Belfast, Ireland |
| Died | 22 November 1963, Oxford, England |
| Spouse | Joy Davidman (married 1956–1960) |
| Notable works | The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters |
| Occupation | Author, literary scholar, Anglican lay theologian |
What was C.S. Lewis best known for?
His major works
The breadth of Lewis’s output spans fantasy, apologetics, and literary scholarship, but three works define his popular legacy.
- The Chronicles of Narnia – a series of seven fantasy novels published between 1950 and 1956, starting with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Britannica, the authoritative encyclopedia).
- Mere Christianity (1952) – a collection of his BBC radio talks that became a cornerstone of Christian apologetics (Britannica).
- The Screwtape Letters (1942) – a satirical novel of letters from a senior demon to a junior, exploring temptation and morality (C.S. Lewis Official Site, the official publisher’s resource).
- The Space Trilogy – three science fiction novels blending myth, theology, and space travel (C.S. Lewis Institute, the Christian educational organization).
The implication: Lewis used multiple genres to explore a single set of theological questions, reaching audiences that purely doctrinal writing could not.
Christian apologetics
- Lewis’s BBC radio talks during World War II reached millions and were later collected as Mere Christianity (Britannica).
- His book The Problem of Pain (1940) established him as a lay expositor of Christian beliefs (Britannica).
- He wrote philosophical and apologetic works including Miracles and The Abolition of Man (C.S. Lewis Institute).
Academic career
- Lewis was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Magdalen College, Oxford from 1925 to 1954 (C.S. Lewis Official Site).
- In 1954 he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his death (C.S. Lewis Official Site).
- His scholarly work, like his creative writing, often engaged with myth and allegory – a path also trodden by contemporaries like Charles Dickens in their own ways.
The pattern: Lewis’s academic rigor informed his popular writing, preventing his apologetics from becoming superficial.
Lewis’s influence as a public intellectual remains unmatched in the intersection of fantasy and faith. His ability to write for both academic and popular audiences set a template that few have since equaled.
What did C.S. Lewis say about Jesus?
The Lord, Liar, or Lunatic trilemma
- In Mere Christianity, Lewis argued that Jesus was either God, a liar, or insane – a trilemma that is still widely cited in apologetics (Britannica).
- He wrote: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.”
Defense of the historical Jesus
- Lewis defended the traditional Christian view of Jesus’s divinity, arguing that the Gospels present a coherent portrait of a divine figure (C.S. Lewis Institute).
- He engaged with critical scholarship of his time, maintaining that the historical evidence supported the Church’s claims.
Influence on modern apologetics
- Lewis’s arguments are referenced by contemporary Christian apologists such as Ravi Zacharias, Timothy Keller, and others (Logos, the Bible software and theology publisher).
- His trilemma has been both adopted and critiqued, but it remains a staple of introductory Christian apologetics.
The catch: The trilemma’s logical force depends on accepting the Gospel accounts as historically reliable, an assumption not all readers share.
What did C.S. Lewis say about homosexuality?
Traditional Christian view
- Lewis held the traditional Anglican position that homosexual acts are sinful, grounded in his reading of Scripture and natural law (C.S. Lewis Institute).
- He expressed these views in personal letters and in his essay “Christianity and Culture” (1940).
Letters and essays on the topic
- In a letter to a correspondent, Lewis wrote that he considered homosexual acts “a perversion” and that the Christian response should be compassion without approval (Logos).
- His views were consistent with the moral teachings of mid-20th century Anglicanism, which condemned homosexual behavior.
Context of his time
- Lewis wrote in an era when homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom and widely condemned by society and the Church (PBS, the public broadcasting service).
- Modern readers often contextualize his statements as reflecting the theological and cultural norms of his time, rather than a uniquely personal animus.
Lewis’s traditional views on sexuality sit uneasily with many contemporary readers, especially those who admire his broader theological and literary contributions. The tension is real: his legacy is both enriched and complicated by the full record of his moral teachings.
Why did C.S. Lewis lose his faith?
Early atheism and disillusionment
- Lewis’s mother died of cancer when he was 10 years old, a trauma that deepened his early atheism (PBS).
- He rejected Christianity as a teenager, influenced by secular thought and the writings of the German philosopher Schopenhauer (Logos).
- By the time he entered Oxford, he considered himself a convinced atheist.
Influence of mythology and reason
- Lewis’s love of Norse and Greek mythology kept alive a sense of the numinous, even as he denied the supernatural (C.S. Lewis Foundation / Chronology, the official chronology).
- Long conversations with J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson in September 1931 convinced him that Christianity was a “true myth” (C.S. Lewis Foundation / Chronology).
- He also credited G.K. Chesterton’s book The Everlasting Man with preparing his mind to accept the incarnation.
Conversion back to Christianity
- Lewis recorded that he became a theist in Trinity Term 1929, and a Christian in September 1931 after a late-night talk with Tolkien and Dyson (C.S. Lewis Foundation / Chronology).
- He described himself as “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England” in his autobiography Surprised by Joy (PBS).
- Within two years of his conversion, he wrote his first apologetic work, The Pilgrim’s Regress (C.S. Lewis Institute).
What this means: Lewis’s return to faith was not an emotional surrender but an intellectual conclusion reached through myth, reason, and friendship.
What did C.S. Lewis say before he died?
Last words and reports
- Lewis’s last spoken words are often reported as “I have found what I truly desire” (PBS).
- However, multiple accounts exist, and the exact wording remains uncertain – some sources suggest he spoke of seeing God.
His final days
- Lewis died at his home, The Kilns, in Oxford on 22 November 1963, at the age of 64 (Britannica).
- He had been ill with heart and kidney problems, and his death came on the same day as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the death of Aldous Huxley.
Circumstances of his death
- Lewis was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Headington, Oxford, where a memorial stone marks his grave (C.S. Lewis Official Site).
- His friend J.R.R. Tolkien wrote of his death: “He was a great man, and we shall not see his like again” (Wikipedia, the collaborative encyclopedia).
The implication: The ambiguity of his last words mirrors the mystery that Lewis himself explored in his writings on death and the afterlife.
Timeline
- 1898 – Born in Belfast, Ireland.
- 1914–1918 – Served in World War I; wounded in action.
- 1925 – Became a Fellow and Tutor at Magdalen College, Oxford.
- 1931 – Converted to Christianity after discussions with J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson.
- 1950–1956 – Published The Chronicles of Narnia series.
- 1954 – Appointed Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge.
- 1963 – Died on 22 November, the same day as John F. Kennedy and Aldous Huxley.
What’s confirmed and what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- Date of birth and death (29 November 1898, 22 November 1963)
- Publication dates of major works (Narnia 1950–1956, Mere Christianity 1952)
- His conversion to Christianity in 1931
- His academic positions at Oxford and Cambridge
What’s unclear
- Exact wording of his last words – multiple accounts exist
- Whether he fully changed his views on certain theological issues later in life
Key quotes from C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.”
— C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Britannica, the authoritative encyclopedia)
“In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.”
— C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (PBS, the public broadcasting service)
“He was a great man, and we shall not see his like again.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, on learning of Lewis’s death (Wikipedia, the collaborative encyclopedia)
For readers exploring the intersection of faith and reason, Lewis’s life offers a model of intellectual honesty. The challenge is not to accept his conclusions but to engage with the questions he posed – questions that remain as urgent today as they were in the 20th century. The enduring popularity of fantasy characters like Tinker Bell – a fairy whose origins trace back to J.M. Barrie, but whose modern incarnation owes much to the imaginative groundwork laid by Lewis’s Narnia – shows how deeply his influence permeates our culture.
pbs.org, libraryguides.missouri.edu, christianhistoryinstitute.org, discovery.org, guides.library.duq.edu, encyclopedia.com
For a comprehensive overview of C.S. Lewiss life and works, readers can explore a detailed biography covering his books, faith, and legacy.
Frequently asked questions
Did C.S. Lewis marry?
Yes, he married Joy Davidman in 1956. She was an American writer and a former Communist. Their marriage lasted until her death from cancer in 1960.
How many books did C.S. Lewis write?
He wrote more than 30 books, covering fantasy, science fiction, Christian apologetics, literary criticism, and autobiography. The official C.S. Lewis site and Britannica both confirm this figure.
What is the Narnia series about?
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels set in the magical land of Narnia, where animals talk, magic is real, and the lion Aslan serves as a Christ-like figure. The books explore themes of good vs. evil, redemption, and faith.
Was C.S. Lewis a professor at Oxford?
Yes, he was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Magdalen College, Oxford from 1925 to 1954. He then moved to Cambridge University as the first Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature.
What is Mere Christianity?
Mere Christianity is a book that collects Lewis’s BBC radio talks from World War II. It presents a case for Christian belief and is one of the most popular works of Christian apologetics ever published.
Did C.S. Lewis believe in universalism?
Lewis is often associated with a form of hopeful universalism, but he never explicitly endorsed universal salvation. In The Great Divorce, he suggests that all may eventually be saved, but he also held that human free will could lead to eternal separation from God.
What influenced C.S. Lewis’s writing?
Lewis was deeply influenced by Norse and Greek mythology, the works of George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, and his friend J.R.R. Tolkien. His own conversion to Christianity shaped his later works, both apologetic and fictional.
For the modern reader, the choice is clear: engage with Lewis’s world, or risk missing one of the richest conversations in Western literature.
Alex Chen is Editor-in-Chief at Australia Data, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.