Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics

By C.S. Lewis and Clive Hamilton

Book Overview

A repackaged edition of the revered author's first book--a collection of poems, written in the wake of World War I, in which the young intellectual and soldier wrestles with the perplexing polarities of life, including love and war, evil and goodness, and other complex dichotomies. In 1919, C. S. Lewis--the great British writer, scholar, lay theologian, broadcaster, Christian apologist, and bestselling author of Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia , and many other beloved classics--published his first book, Spirits in Bondage, under the pseudonym Clive Hamilton. Written when Lewis was a student at Oxford and during the war when he served at the front in France, Spirits in Bondage reflects the intellectual and spiritual struggles of a young man wounded by war and conflicted over faith. As he contemplates the nature of morality, love, the presence of evil, the possibility of God, and other profound questions. Lewis reveals a side of himself unfamiliar to many readers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062643614
• ISBN13: 9780062643612
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully mature and insightful work!

Considering Lewis wrote this cycle of poems when he was in his early twenties, they provide incredibly mature insight into the role pain has in people's lives. I ordered this book because I am writing my thesis on C.S. Lewis - I have to say, no study of Lewis' work is complete without this, his earliest and perhaps most poignant contribution to thoughts on powerfully important human topics like pain.

Little-known writing on par with Lewis' best

The creativity and keen spiritual insights that have made C.S. Lewis the most renowned Christian writer of the modern era combine with eloquent poetry to reveal the writer's struggles, hopes and nightmares that predate his conversion to Christianity. This book of poems illustrates his yearning for truth and salvation by revealing his images God, man and Satan in delightful, rhyming lyrics. The intellectual and spiritual force present in these poems create a powerful edge rarely matched. Readers will discern the drive that eventually leads Lewis to find "his heart's delight." This is a must-have for those who have appreciated Lewis' other writings. Lewis' searching and questions parallel many who have had doubts about the present reality and character of a God that seems to hide in mysteries. The genius behind Mere Christianity and the Chronicles of Narnia is behind these poems, even though he has yet to have his eyes opened. The heart of a desperate, sincere seeker of God is painted in these lyrics that in themselves make great poetry.

vivid, beautiful poems

I know that Lewis is mostly known for his books, but these poems have images in them that have remained in my mind for several years after I've read them...the imagery, and the ideas, is what really works in these poems. Also, it is very interesting to read what Lewis wrote before he became a Christian; since most of his writings are religious.