
The Making of C. S. Lewis
From Atheist to Apologist (1918–1945)
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Narrated by:
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Simon Bubb
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By:
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Harry Lee Poe
About this listen
Experience C. S. Lewis's Captivating Transformation from Atheist to Christian
At the end of World War I, young C. S. Lewis was a devout atheist about to begin his studies at Oxford. In the three decades that followed, he would establish himself as one of the most influential writers and scholars of modern times, undergoing a radical conversion to Christianity that would transform his life and his work.
Scholar Harry Lee Poe unfolds these watershed years in Lewis's life, offering listeners a unique perspective on his conversion, his friendships with well-known Christians such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Dorothy L. Sayers, and his development from an opponent of Christianity to one of its most ardent defenders.
©2022 Harry Lee Poe (P)2022 CrosswayListeners also enjoyed...
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The Completion of C. S. Lewis: From War to Joy is the final volume in a trilogy on C. S. Lewis's life. In this third audiobook, scholar Harry Lee Poe examines the years during World War II until Lewis's death in 1963. This period of his life was wrought with disappointments and tragedy, including the deaths of close friends and family, the decline of his health, and professional failings. Despite these disappointments, this time was also marked by deep and meaningful relationships with those around him, including his friendship with and marriage to Joy Davidman Gresham.
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-
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Only the forward is narrated by Holland.
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Outstanding.
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Story
The White Witch, Aslan, fauns and talking beasts, centaurs and epic battles between good and evil: these have become a part of our collective imagination through the classic volumes of The Chronicles of Narnia. Yet who was the man who created this world? This audiobook attempts to unearth the making of the first Narnian, C. S. Lewis himself.
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The Narnian
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From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds. Throughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming. What good is all this knowledge if it leads to lack of thought? What is information without wisdom?
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Colorful anecdotes but tiring after a while.
- By Thumb Guy on 05-03-23
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The Oxford Inklings
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- Unabridged
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The Oxford Inklings tells the story of the friendships, mutual influence, and common purpose of the Inklings - the literary circle which congregated around C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Meeting in pubs or Lewis' college rooms, they included an influential array of literary figures. They were, claimed poet and novelist John Wain, bent on 'the task of redirecting the whole current of contemporary art and life'. Tolkien and Lewis expert Colin Duriez unpacks the Inklings' origins, relationships, and the nature of their collaboration.
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Great insights into the Inklings
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What listeners say about The Making of C. S. Lewis
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Scott Anderson
- 05-02-23
Best CSL biography
This volume two of Poe’s biography picks up where the previous one left off. It continues to provide more details relevant to understanding Lewis’ formation.
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- T. Hooker
- 02-09-24
Great Second Chapter from Poe
Not sure why an American author chose an English reader, but this is certainly worth the time.
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Overall
- James
- 10-30-22
For Me, The Best of Lewis Biographies, So Far
Your mileage may vary. I've tried a dozen CSL Bios, and for the most part, I haven't loved them. I think I enjoy looking at the world WITH Lewis (reading his own works, or books like Into The Region of Awe, which spotlights Lewis's mysticism, or the Baxter book, which spotlights Lewis's medievalism) more than looking AT Lewis. So most CSL bios, even Sayers' and McRath's (sp) leave a weird aftertaste for me.
For reasons I can't articulate, Poe's books (I've listened to the first two of three) deliver scenes of his life with a more direct, dry atmosphere, and usually I'm looking WITH Lewis again, not AT him. Not to say Poe doesn't slip into the occasional cringy sentimental or over-reaching observation. He does. But it's brief, and then he's back to the plain facts. I'm surprised that a writer whose day job has the name Chuck Colson in it has written the Lewis biography I can love, but he has.
For a moderate Lewis fan, the book may be tedious. But for readers like me who have read most of the Lewis canon, and who are familiar with the short versions of his life, this is a nice, mostly unfussy expansion of the world Lewis inhabited and illuminated.
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