Clive Staples Lewis, more commonly known as C.S. Lewis, was born in Belfast, Ireland, 29th November 1898 and died 22nd November 1963. He is best known for his children’s book series, The Chronicles of Narnia, though he has written others besides, such as The Screwtape Letters, The Space Trilogy, and also wrote non-fiction Christian apologetics, Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain.
His legacy is mostly remembered by The Chronicles of Narnia. This is a series of seven books, which have two different orders in which they can be read. The first is the order in which Lewis wrote, and published, the books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician’s Nephew; and The Last Battle.
Lewis later admitted in a letter to a fan that the series was not planned out before he wrote it. He did not originally intend to write more than just The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, so he wrote them as they came to him. However, he agreed that that the chronological order, the order in which the books follow a more linear timeline, did make more sense. The order for these books is: The Magician’s Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Hose and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle.
As an adaptation, the Narnia films are pretty good and do a good job of portraying Narnia on the big screen. Many adaptations have been released over the years but this is my personal favourite. C.S. Lewis created a whole new world, with an underlying religious message, for children, though adults love it too. This is a timeless piece of fiction which has brought joy to many over the years. In 2008, The Times ranked Lewis as number eleven on their list of 50 greatest British Writers since 1945, which really shows how far his work has travelled.
There is a status of Lewis in East Belfast, standing in front of his Wardrobe from the most popular book in his series. A bronze status of his character Digory Kirke, from The Magician's Nephew, stands in Belfast's Holywood Arches in front of the Holywood Road Library.