That Hideous Strength

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While many readers know him for The Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis’s creative range was extraordinary. A professor of literature at Oxford and later Cambridge, he wrote scholarly works on medieval poetry, philosophical explorations of morality and suffering (The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed), and one of the most sharply imagined Christian allegories in print, The Screwtape Letters. Yet even in his theological writings, his storytelling instinct never dimmed—he was always reaching for a metaphor that might catch fire in the reader’s mind.

The Narnia series, beginning with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950, was where his imagination bloomed brightest. Blending myth, faith, and a sense of old-world adventure, Lewis crafted a universe where animals talk, good and evil clash in poetic terms, and courage often comes in the form of small acts by ordinary children. His stories didn’t just entertain—they quietly asked readers to reflect on belief, doubt, bravery, and choice.

Though his Christian faith shaped much of his later work, Lewis was not one to preach. He once remarked that his goal was to “sneak past watchful dragons”—to share truths through story rather than sermon. That approach has kept his writing alive across generations and belief systems, appealing to both seekers and skeptics alike.

Lewis’s friendships were as legendary as his books. He was a core member of the Inklings, a group of writers that included J.R.R. Tolkien, who famously argued with Lewis about everything from elves to theology. Their spirited debates fueled some of the most iconic fantasy ever written.

He passed away in 1963, quietly and without fanfare—on the same day President Kennedy was assassinated. But Lewis’s legacy didn’t fade. Today, his books have sold over 100 million copies and continue to be translated, adapted, debated, and, most of all, cherished.

For C. S. Lewis, fantasy was never an escape from reality—it was a way to illuminate it. “Some day,” he wrote, “you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” And when you do, Narnia will still be there, snow-dusted and waiting, just beyond the wardrobe.