Book Review: What is my favorite C. S. Lewis biography?

George Sayer, Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis. Crossway, 2005.

William Griffin. Clive Staples Lewis: A Dramatic Life. Harper and Row, 1986.

Alister McGrath. C. S. Lewis — A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet. Tyndale, 2013.

Sayer was Lewis’ student and later taught at Malvern College, a secondary school that Lewis attended before studying at Oxford. They became close friends and Lewis would vacation with Sayer. They walked the Malvern Hills and discussed literature, Lewis’ writing projects, and personal issues including Lewis’ marriage, faith, and doubts. He was also friends and a walking companion with Tolkien. This is usually considered the best biography of Lewis

McGrath began his studies at Oxford about eight years after Lewis died. In his Preface he tells the reader that he wants to cover the complete Lewis from scholar to apologist and children’s author to Christian friend. McGrath calls him Lewis not Jack because he is studying him through his writings. McGrath is an Oxford and Cambridge insider like Lewis. He notes his sources in extensive notes so his conclusions can be understood and challenged. He disagrees with some majority conclusions and makes his case clearly and, in my opinion, convincingly. He knows the geography and culture of these universities well and helps the reader better understand some details of Lewis’ life. McGrath, like Lewis, was raised in Ireland. He knows and loves many of the landscapes that Lewis mentioned and attended the same school as Lewis’ mother. He has a similar spiritual pilgrimage as Lewis. His clear and well-crafted Preface is a must read. This is a well-written, readable and highly recommended book.

Griffin was a writer and editor with Macmillan publishers. He worked with religious authors and complied this book. In 1979, a reviewer wrote in the New York Times that no one reads C. S. Lewis except children and Christians. Griffin notes that Macmillan was selling more that 1,000,000 copies a year of Lewis’ books at that time. They did not sell all of Lewis books and the sales of other publishers greatly increased this number. This book contained accounts from Lewis’ diaries and letters, his brother’s works and the writings of friends and colleagues. It is intimate, hilarious, and enlightening. Regretfully, it is out of print. Today, May 2, 2025, there are 20 used books for sale on Amazon and half of them are under $10.00. You will enjoy this.