JUST 2 WEEKS BEFORE SHOWING THE FIRST 2 CHAPTERS OF HIS: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
TO ROGER LANCELYN GREEN, C.S. LEWIS REVEALS THE DEPTH OF THE STRAIN ON HIS PERSONAL LIFE
LEWIS, C.S. [CLIVE STAPLES LEWIS]. 1898-1963. Irish-born scholar, novelist, and author of about 40 books, many of them on Christian apologetics; best known for his: The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven children’s books that have become classics of fantasy literature; friend and associate of J.R.R. Tolkien. Scarce Autograph Letter Signed, “C.S. Lewis”. One page, octavo. “Magdalen Co[llege, Oxford]” February 26, [19]49”. Two file holes in left margin, else fine condition. To [Peter] Purkiss, a student at Spurgeon’s College, London. In this remarkable letter we get fascinating and personal insight wherein Lewis describes the trials he faced at home caring for both his brother Warren and his companion Janie Moore, which served as inspiration for his famed series The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis writes:
“Dear Mr. Purkiss, I am afraid that I [am] now so tied to home by the care always of one, sometimes of two, invalids, and so driven with work that I cannot undertake any extras. With thanks and regards. Yours sincerely, C.S. Lewis.”
THE FASCINATING BACK STORY TO THIS LETTER:
C.S. Lewis had made a pact with fellow World War I cadet and friend Paddy Moore to care for each other’s families should one die in the war. Lewis honored the pact upon Paddy’s death in 1918, caring for his friends’ mother, Janie, and sister, Maureen. Lewis moved into ‘The Kilns’ with the two women and his brother, Warren Lewis. By the late 1940s, Janie Moore lost use of her legs and ran the house from her bed, frequently arguing with the maids. At the same time, Lewis had to move his brother to the Acland Nursing Home for addiction treatment.
Similar letters from this period show Lewis’ disdain for the ordeal, writing on January 14: “My house is unquiet and devastated by women’s quarrels.” It was at this low moment that Lewis dove into what would become The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; of which he shared the first two chapters with Roger Lancelyn Green on March 10, 1949. (Green/Hooper, C.S. Lewis: Biography, 1974) (Edwards, C.S. Lewis: Life, Works, and Legacy, 2007, p. 183)
A brief, yet highly revealing letter, written during the moment where his greatest literary work was taking shape. Just remarkable!
$4800.00
ROGER GILBERT LANCELYN GREEN (1918 –1987) was a British biographer and children’s writer. He was an Oxford academic who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. He had a positive influence on his friend, C.S. Lewis, by encouraging him to publish The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.