CS Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was born in Belfast, Ireland. When he was 10 years old his mother died, and Lewis began identifying himself as an atheist who was “angry at God for not existing.” He entered Oxford University in 1917, just before the beginning of WWI, and served in the British Army before being wounded with shrapnel in the trenches. Lewis was invited to teach at Oxford and joined a literary writers group known as The Inklings. Through conversations with group members, he found himself re-embracing the teachings of Scripture. He became a Christian apologist who emphasized reason, logic, and sound philosophy in his numerous writings. When WWII broke out, Lewis delivered a series of radio broadcasts on the foundations of the Christian faith. They were collected into a book, Mere Christianity, which has become a fundamental evangelical text. Lewis was also the author of the renowned children’s Chronicles of Narnia series.
In 1956 he married Joy Gresham, an American English teacher who was the delight of his life, but who died four years later from cancer. Lewis taught literature at Cambridge University from the mid 1950s until 1963, when he began having heart trouble. He died at home later that year.
