Friday 24 May 2013

Review of Alister McGrath's biography: CS Lewis: a Life

*

Rating: Five stars from a possible Five.

I slightly dragged my feet in reading Alister McGrath's new biography of C.S Lewis (but only by a month!) because I have a suspicion of 'late' biographies from large commercial publishing houses (as tending towards unsympathetic, formulaic muck-raking) and also because I supposed that since McGrath is a famous and busy theologian, he would be unlikely to put enough time into the job.

I am pleased to report I was wrong on both counts; and that this is an extremely enjoyable and worthwhile biography of CS Lewis - to put alongside the Lancelyn Green/ Hooper pioneer, and the definitive George Sayer volume - and ideally to be read after these two.

The biography, indeed, reads as if it was specifically designed to be read after Sayer; since McGrath's biography is complemetary: providing many new details and amplifications in just those areas where Sayer says least - and relatively cutting back in coverage of those areas where Sayer says most.

Aside from a mild but recurrent dash of chronological snobbery resulting from McGrath's centre-Right social liberalism (such that he sometimes simply assumes without argument that Lewis was wrong on those points where he clashes with modern shibboleths in relation to sex, politics, education, scholarship etc.), I have nothing negative to say about this book!

It was gripping, insightful, informative and thoroughly worthwhile.

*

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I looked at it in my local (Edinburgh) Waterstone's) and was surprised to find no disciussion or even mention of the Out of the Silent Planet trilogy.
Perhaps for the reasons you mention in your penultimate paragraph (which are enough to make the book of no interest at all to me)?

Bruce Charlton said...

Look at pages 233-238 about 'The Ransom Trilogy'

Samson J. said...

Aside from a mild but recurrent dash of chronological snobbery resulting from McGrath's centre-Right social liberalism (such that he sometimes simply assumes without argument that Lewis was wrong on those points where he clashes with modern shibboleths in relation to sex, politics, education, scholarship etc.),

But these assumptions (and writing style) aren't unique to McGrath; they're well-nigh omnipresent in works of the past 30 years or so. It's one reason I have an awful hard time enjoying books that are written today. At times, I have in fact refused to finish a book in which it these assumptions were too obtrusive, and in a physical bookstore it's one of the things I scan a book for before I buy it.