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.

Several years before he converted to Christianity, C. S. Lewis published a narrative poem, Dymer, under the pseudonym Clive Hamilton. Later, of course, Lewis became well known for his beloved imaginative stories, such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Till We Have Faces, as well as his ability to defend and articulate the faith in works such as Mere Christianity.

But what about his literary work before his conversion?

In this Hansen Lectureship volume, Jerry Root contends that Lewis's early poem Dymer can not only shed light on the development of Lewis's literary skills but also offer a glimpse of what was to come in his intellectual and spiritual growth—a "splendour in the dark," to borrow one of Lewis's own lines from the poem. Under Root's careful analysis, Dymer becomes a way to understand both Lewis's change of mind as well as the way in which each of us is led on a journey of faith.

This volume also includes the complete text of Dymer with annotations from David C. Downing, co-director of the Marion E. Wade Center.

Based on the annual lecture series hosted at Wheaton College's Marion E. Wade Center, volumes in the Hansen Lectureship Series reflect on the imaginative work and lasting influence of seven British authors: Owen Barfield, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.

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.