C.S. Lewis: Always a Poet

By Roland M. Kawano

C.S. Lewis: Always a Poet delves into the life of C.S. Lewis, a struggling poet turned successful teacher, apologist and novelist, who saw his primary calling as a poet. According to author Roland M. Kawano, Lewis' vocation as a poet is pervasive throughout all his works.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761823409
• ISBN13: 9780761823407
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: University Press Of America
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.4" x 0.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Booke Review --- C.S. Lewis: Always a Poet

Understanding a writer's motivation, helps us to understand his stories. Roland Kawano has brought a perspective to C.S. Lewis' work that is fresh and insightful. Through a series of linked essays, Kawano describes Lewis' journey from hopeful and naive youth, bursting to share his world view, to later, darker days, before the he was "Surprised by Joy." Lewis' first published work is poetry, but modern audiences know him best for his biblical allegory, science fiction, and theological discussion papers. Kawano's examination of Lewis' own hopes for his works, gives us better understanding of the works of Lewis in their entirety. By understanding Lewis' poetic nature, and hopes, Always a Poet helps us to discern evidence of the poet in his novels, and particularly in his treatise on Christianity and its place in his life. Biographical in nature, Always A Poet gives an intimate view of Lewis and his pilgrimage, during which he struggles to see himself as poet first. The contrast between poet and writer seems vague to most, but Kawano clarifies the distinctive identities and the disparate aims of each. Kawano argues that throughout his literary career, Lewis struggles to remain a poet, despite his limited success in publishing poetry during his lifetime. For those just discovering Lewis, Kawano's C.S. Lewis: Always a Poet will give insight to the character of the man who delighted us with the lyrical tales of Narnia and beyond. This brief, thoughtful book will bring a greater appreciation of Lewis' aims, as well as his writing style in the well-read Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and other works. J. Morran