David C. Downing – författare

Downing presents each Narnia book as its own little wardrobe - each tale an opportunity to discover a visionary world of bustling vitality, sparkling beauty, and spiritual clarity. And Downing''s examination of C. S. Lewis''s personal life shows how the content of these classic children''s books reflects Lewis''s love of wonder and story, his affection for animals and homespun things, his shrewd observations about human nature, along with his vast reading, robust humor, theological speculations, medieval scholarship, and arcane linguistic jokes. A fun glossary of odd and invented words will allow readers to speak with Narnian flair, regaling friends and family with unusual words like cantrips, poltoonery, hastilude, and skirling. A masterful work that will appeal to both new and seasoned fans of Narnia, Into the Wardrobe offers a journey beyond Narnia''s deceptively simple surface and into its richly textured and unexpected depths.

His books have sold millions, including classics like Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Yet C. S. Lewis was not always a literary giant of Christian faith. How did he evolve from staunch atheism to become one of the most beloved and renowned Christian authors of our time?

Unlike most biographies of Lewis, which tend to focus on his childhood and dramatic conversion to Christianity, this book discusses the largely overlooked period of his life between his childhood and his early thirties, during which he experienced a tumultuous journey of spiritual and intellectual exploration that ultimately led to his conversion. Professor David C. Downing, author of the critically acclaimed Planets in Peril (a study of Lewis'' Ransom trilogy), weaves the people, places, and events of Lewis'' life together with excerpts from Lewis'' own writing to show how Lewis'' spiritual quest can also light the path for other seekers.

For C. S. Lewis enthusiasts and students alike, this book offers a unique look at Lewis'' personal journey to faith and the profound influence it had on his life as a writer.

C. S. Lewis is generally regarded as a commonsense Christian whose theology is understandable and practical. And yet, from his memoir Surprised by Joy to his beloved Chronicles of Narnia, from his nonfiction essays to his letters, C. S. Lewis'' works display a distinct sense of the mystical. In this book, David C. Downing explores the breadth of Lewis'' writing, introducing us to the context of Christian mysticism in Lewis'' day and to the writers who most influenced him.

Lewis'' critique of mysticism is instructive to us in this day of eclectic religious thought. Exploring Lewis'' sense of the mystical can help us safeguard ourselves from false mysticism, even as it opens the way to a full experience of God''s presence.