Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
    The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
    The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
    Audiobook (abridged)9 hours

    The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis

    Written by Alan Jacobs

    Narrated by Alan Jacobs

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    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 audio book attempts to unearth the making of the first Narnian, C. S. Lewis himself.

    One of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential religious writer of his day, Lewis was also an Oxford don and a scholar of medieval literature who loved to debate philosophy at his local pub. Yet one of the most intriguing aspects of Clive Staples Lewis remains unanswered. How did a bachelor professor, nearly fifty, and living in a wholly adult world, turn to the writing of stories for children -- stories that would become among the most popular and beloved ever written?

    Alan Jacobs masterfully tells the story of C. S. Lewis. From his childhood days in Ireland to his horrific experiences in the trenches of the First World War, to his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkein (and other members of the ""Inklings"") and his remarkable late-life marriage to Joy Davidman, Jacobs traces the events and people that shaped Lewis's philosophy, theology, and fiction. The story of a profound mind and extraordinary imagination, The Narnian is a remarkable tale of a man who knew great loss and great delight, but who knew above all that the world holds far more richness and meaning than the average eye can see.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 11, 2005
    ISBN9780060894535
    Author

    Alan Jacobs

    Alan Jacobs is professor of English at Wheaton College in Illinois. He is the author of several books, including most recently The Narnian, a biography of C. S. Lewis. His literary and cultural criticism has appeared in a wide range of periodicals, including the Boston Globe, The American Scholar, First Things, Books & Culture, and The Oxford American.

    Related to The Narnian

    Related audiobooks

    Religious Biographies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Andrew Peterson

      Dec 1, 2019

      Andrew Peterson
      2 min read

    • Article

      “Time Is No Stream To Get Fixed In”

      Oct 7, 2021

      At the outbreak of World War II, Alun Lewis (born 1 July 1915), joined the British Army Corps of Royal Engineers, though soon after changed his commission to an infantry battalion. Lewis died unexpectedly on 5 March 1944 while stationed in Burma, dur

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Sage of Narnia

      Nov 15, 2023

      The Sage of Narnia
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Poetry No. 111

      Sep 6, 2022

      The Art of Poetry No. 111
      26 min read

    • Article

      Belated Recognition

      Mar 1, 2021

      Belated Recognition
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Hidden Harper Lee

      May 15, 2019

      The Hidden Harper Lee
      5 min read

    • Article

      I Used to Live Here: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys

      May 4, 2022

      Collins £22 Jean Rhys (1890-1979) was born in Dominica to a white Creole mother who was, by her daughter’s account, hard and cruel. ‘I’ve done my best, ’ her mother told her after yet another whipping. ‘You’ll never be like other people.’ Her father,

      3 min read

    • Article

      Gene Wolfe And The Book Of Gold

      Apr 25, 2019

      His example was a welcome counter to the romanticized notion of the philandering rebel artist. Regular habits, a strong work ethic, and a love of revision were the secret ingredients to a successful writing career. The post Gene Wolfe and the Book of

      8 min read

    • Article

      Before Straight and Gay

      Feb 6, 2017

      Before Straight and Gay
      7 min read

    • Article

      Hunting For A Lesbian Canon

      May 17, 2018

      Hunting For A Lesbian Canon
      8 min read

    • Article

      What Kind of Angel: On Percy Shelley

      Nov 21, 2022

      Shelley saw himself as a conduit for the electricity of the universe. The post What Kind of Angel: On Percy Shelley appeared first on The Millions.

      15 min read

    • Article

      Observers, Bystanders, and Hangers On: Ten Novels with Unlikely Narrators

      May 16, 2019

      I love stories told by the supposedly innocent bystander; the less charismatic best friend; the hapless fan or scholar whose own life recedes in the shadow of their subject of adoration. The post Observers, Bystanders, and Hangers On: Ten Novels with

      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Sep 15, 2021

      Fern and Rose are fraternal twins. Fern suffers from sensory processing disorder, so throughout their lives, Rose has been the one in charge, organising her sister. An avid bookworm, Fern works in the library, where her behaviours are camouflaged. Bu

      1 min read

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Dec 2, 2021

      Shelf Life
      4 min read

    • Article

      So What If Lincoln Was Gay?

      Apr 16, 2019

      So What If Lincoln Was Gay?
      4 min read

    • Article

      Need To Know

      Oct 4, 2020

      We learn from books, which suggests authors are wiser than readers. This is clearly false, yet we at least entertain the notion every time we pick up a book. The extreme example of this paternalistic relationship is the self-help book, where readers,

      2 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Dreyer, Lapidos, Winters, and More

      Jan 22, 2019

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from the likes of Benjamin Dreyer, Juliet Lapidos, Ben Winters and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to h

      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Narnian

    4.5/5

    110 ratings7 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      AUDIO BOOK IS DIFFERENT THAN HARDCOPY BOOK!

      I enjoyed the book, that being a hardcopy I read along with the audio version so I could make notations. The audio version unfortunately removes words, phrases, sentences, and whole sections out of the book. I was glad I had the hardcopy so I could get all the author wrote.

      Obviously, I have no idea why there is a difference but obviously I prefer the book over the audio version.
    • 5/5
      Excellent mix of the life and the works of C. S. Lewis.
    • 5/5
      This is a good behind-the-curtain look at Lewis. He is not the person I imagined he would be but still, what an amazing life. I like how the author ties several events in Lewis life to Narnia.
      There are several points in the audio where it skips like a dirty audio CD but overall, a good recording.
    • 3/5
      An interesting biography of C. S. Lewis that focuses on his intellectual shifts throughout life and the intellectual issues that influenced his work. I found the beginning and ending engrossing, but the middle 4 or 5 chapters dragged significantly for me.
    • 5/5
      Very inspiring book. I was encouraged to see how this man could be a very earnest Christian yet so unique in every way.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic!
    • 5/5
      Starts a bit slow, but Alan Jacobs' biography ends up being the best work I've read on C S Lewis's life. Jacobs focuses on the development and expression of Lewis's thinking, especially his imagination, and doesn't waste time on ground that's been covered so exhaustively already, i.e. his odd household arrangements, the Inklings, etc.