Many readers talk about authors that have written their comfort reads. J.K. Rowling, Agatha Christie, Louise Penny, Rick Riordan, Julia Quinn…you name it, a person has a “Comfort Author” that has written books you pick up time and time again. For me, that author is C.S. Lewis.
Clive Staples Lewis - better known as C. S. Lewis or Mr. Lewis - wrote the beloved Chronicles of Narnia series along with many works based in Christianity, love, grief and imagination. Ever since my dad decided to read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to my siblings and I when we were kids, I have loved the series and his writing ever since.
Narnia is rooted with so many Christian symbols, which is why it has always spoken to my soul time and time again. From the Great Aslan and his all seeing heart to the beautiful symbols of forgiveness, truth and love in Prince Caspian, the Narnia series can offer much to a reader who appreciates both Christian thought and a beautiful fairytale. It transports me to a whole different world every time I reread the books.
C.S. Lewis was a dreamer, a thinker and above all - he questioned everything. In his early life, he was a Christian but rejected the faith in his early teens and became an atheist. It was not until 1930 following the Great War that he returned to theism and eventually Christianity with the help of a close friend and devout Catholic, J.R.R. Tolkien, who went on to write the great worlds within the Lord of the Rings. Lewis’s nonfiction works speak not only to his return to Christianity, but also are apologetics that are intellectual truths of Christian religion. Some of his best known works are: The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity and The Four Loves. They all speak to different aspects of Christian thought or serve as allegories and satires about certain sectors of the faith.
Now following my history lesson, allow me to explain my 2022 reading goal. Throughout this year, I have a goal of re-reading the Narnia series as well as adding in many of C.S. Lewis’s works of nonfiction, journals and works of literary criticism into my reading life.
As I reflect on his writings again, I always come back to this quote from him about reading: “I cannot imagine someone really enjoying a book and reading it only once.” He truly has taught me to appreciate the rereading process, and this is what makes him my one true comfort author. I am excited to embark on this journey of rereading my favorite series and discovering new insights to his other works.
Journey along with me in my blog post series, which I am linking to each post below as they come!
COMING SOON - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Re-thoughts