George SayerJack: A Life of C. S. Lewis

It would be difficult to overestimate the place that CS Lewis holds in the minds of many Christian believers during what is now the century following his passing. His books, both fiction and nonfiction, are continuously referred to because of their sharp intellectual rigor, their appeal to the imagination and their entertainment quality. There is simply no way to be a Christian in the 21st century without coming across authors, speakers or anyone really who refers reverently to Lewis in one way or another. George Sayer writes about Lewis' life, his past, the passing of his mother, his relationship with his father, his brother and a number of other meaningful individuals. He also relates his own relationship with Lewis, which is a real treat. Two points regarding this biography. First, it is nicely written and easy to follow. Sayer has a profound personal knowledge of Lewis and you can imagine the different conversations that led to his ability to address and describe the different elements of Lewis' life. They are personal as well, veering away from the hero-worship that is often found in biographies. Lewis was like many of us - troubled, at times happy, other times at a loss for interpreting what was happening to him. He was a friend, he had enemies. He sometimes knew what he was doing, other times not. He was, in the words of Alistair McGrath (who perhaps wrote the definitive "history" of CS Lewis), a very reluctant prophet. Prophet he was - Sayer takes us through his thoughts and the events that coloured the different works that Lewis produced at different times and really, provides insight into the different influences in his life - Tolkien, Williams, Davidman (his wife). All are part of his thinking in some way.Second, there is a deeply personal aspect to this biography. Sayer was a former student and indeed, the story starts with Sayer's first meeting with Lewis. But he also became a close friend. He writes of the difficulties that Lewis experienced with other friends, with faculty at Oxford, the different obstacles that he faced throughout what has to be considered somewhat of a lonely life, lonely in spite of the many friends and many individuals with which he corresponded.Sayer has given everyone a great treat. As those who knew Lewis personally are slowly passing, it is a privilege to read from those who not only knew him and not only were students, but also shared in his life and provide insight and perspective into the man, author, brother, husband and friend that he was.

This is a fascinating account of C.S. Lewis's life, written by someone who knew him intimately as teacher and friend for 29 years. It records many details of his personal life which are not included in the official biography by Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper, and it undermines some of the rather controversial and unsubstantiated views in A.N. Wilson's poorly-researched biography.

Danke, alles gut!

I read George Sayer's biography of Lewis immediately after reading Lewis' autobiography, Surprised by Joy. Lewis' own account of his life was interesting, but unbalanced, as Sayer argues. In Sayer, the reader finds a sympathetic interpreter of Lewis' life, but one who also avoids merely laudatory remarks on Lewis. For example, Lewis is quite hard upon his father in Surprised by Joy, but Sayer mitigates Lewis' portrait with key anecdotes and examples of Lewis' father's concern, love, and generosity to Lewis. He does this while also doing justice to the real flaws in Lewis' father.One area in which Sayer may be unbalanced himself is in his treatment of Lewis' brother Warren Lewis. He is at pains to correct what he believes is Warren's flawed view of Mrs. Moore and of Joy, Lewis' two chief female companions during his life. While many speculate upon the true nature of Lewis' relationship to Mrs. Moore, Sayer believes it to have been free of any sexual or even sensual qualities--Mrs. Moore was to Lewis the mother he lacked during the traumatic experiences of his youth to which he speaks so much of in his autobiography, according to Sayer. Lewis' relationship to Joy prior to and during their legal marriage is also a point of emphasis with Sayer. He argues that Lewis preserved chastity until after he and Joy's "Christian" marriage ceremony, at which point Lewis had developed a real marital affection for Joy, as opposed to the empathetic feelings that led him to rescue her from the disastrous marriage in which she was stuck in the U.S.A., where she did not believe her two boys were safe from harm. Given Lewis' own childhood experiences, it is not difficult to see that he would be willing to take unusual measures to protect children whom he believed were subject to abuse. Much of Sayer's arguments stem from his desire to correct other biographer's "misunderstandings" of Lewis based upon Warren Lewis' letters. One can also see how Sayer's closeness to Lewis influences his view of Warren's irresponsibilities resulting from his alcoholism and his diffidence to help out with domestic affairs at the Kilns. He does attempt to balance out his portrait of Warren by acknowledging Warren's immense help in answering Lewis' fan letters, and in recognizing Warren's prodigious knowledge of Nepoleonic France (including praises for the quality of Warren's writing).Sayer also does a fine job of demonstrating Lewis' propensity to keep his private affairs hidden from even his closest friends. Most of Lewis' academic friends were oblivious to his relationship with Arthur Greeves, Lewis' closest childhood friend next to Warren, and his most intimate confidant during his intense spiritual struggles prior to, or rather during his long process of conversion to Christianity.All in all Sayer's biography is top-notch and a pleasure to read. He captures the finer points of Lewis, of which Lewis himself was candid in his autobiography, while also presenting lots of details and insights, which Lewis either declined to include or was unlikely (or, indeed, unable) to identify and express.

Very solid chronological (mostly) run through Lewis' life by a former pupil and lifelong friend. Not a hagiography (one gets the impression both writer and subject would have deplored such a work), but more a Polaroid than a Reubens. I strongly believe I'd like to have been a friend of both, especially Sayers, whose hobby was wine-making. A solid foundation for further reading about Lewis, his people, and his faith.