The Making of C. S. Lewis

From Atheist to Apologist (1918–1945)

By: Harry Lee Poe

Narrated by: Simon Bubb

Experience C. S. Lewis's Captivating Transformation from Atheist to Christian

At the end of World War I, young C. S. Lewis was a devout atheist about to begin his studies at Oxford. In the three decades that followed, he would establish himself as one of the most influential writers and scholars of modern times, undergoing a radical conversion to Christianity that would transform his life and his work.

Scholar Harry Lee Poe unfolds these watershed years in Lewis's life, offering listeners a unique perspective on his conversion, his friendships with well-known Christians such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Dorothy L. Sayers, and his development from an opponent of Christianity to one of its most ardent defenders.

©2022 Harry Lee Poe (P)2022 Crossway

Great Second Chapter from Poe

Not sure why an American author chose an English reader, but this is certainly worth the time.

For Me, The Best of Lewis Biographies, So Far

Your mileage may vary. I've tried a dozen CSL Bios, and for the most part, I haven't loved them. I think I enjoy looking at the world WITH Lewis (reading his own works, or books like Into The Region of Awe, which spotlights Lewis's mysticism, or the Baxter book, which spotlights Lewis's medievalism) more than looking AT Lewis. So most CSL bios, even Sayers' and McRath's (sp) leave a weird aftertaste for me.

For reasons I can't articulate, Poe's books (I've listened to the first two of three) deliver scenes of his life with a more direct, dry atmosphere, and usually I'm looking WITH Lewis again, not AT him. Not to say Poe doesn't slip into the occasional cringy sentimental or over-reaching observation. He does. But it's brief, and then he's back to the plain facts. I'm surprised that a writer whose day job has the name Chuck Colson in it has written the Lewis biography I can love, but he has.

For a moderate Lewis fan, the book may be tedious. But for readers like me who have read most of the Lewis canon, and who are familiar with the short versions of his life, this is a nice, mostly unfussy expansion of the world Lewis inhabited and illuminated.

Best CSL biography

This volume two of Poe’s biography picks up where the previous one left off. It continues to provide more details relevant to understanding Lewis’ formation.