Lewis also gained renown for his Christian apologetics. His “Mere Christianity,” published in 1952, was rated “best religious book of the 20th century” by the U.S. magazine Christianity Today.
Until now, Lewis has been largely ignored at Oxford University, where he taught for three decades, until his death in 1963. He has gained greater recognition in the U.S., where the Episcopal Church celebrates a “Holy C.S. Lewis Day” each November.
With interest growing, however, and three books of the Narnia series now blockbuster films, things are changing.
A native of what is now Northern Ireland, Lewis won an Oxford scholarship in 1916, graduating after fighting in the trenches of World War I. He became a fellow of Oxford’s Magdalen College in 1925.
The city is full of landmarks connected to Lewis. There’s the Eagle and Child pub where his literary group, The Inklings, met; the walkways where he nurtured his fascination for Nordic, Celtic and Greek legends; and the Anglican Holy Trinity Church where he lies buried.
As a new generation is introduced to the world of Narnia, Anglican Father Michael Ward, a university chaplain, said he thinks Lewis’ Christian vision is gaining a new relevance.
Lewis’ work has appeared on reading lists in both English literature and systematic theology at Oxford. The C.S. Lewis Society hosts weekly seminars at the university’s Pusey House.
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