We might also say that Evangelicals saved Lewis. Wheaton College, the Notre Dame of Evangelicalism, houses a good bit of his work and artifacts, along with other early/mid-century Brits like Sayers and Tolkien. I discovered Lewis as a student at Gordon-Conwell, a Reformed, well, non-denominational (but definitely Reformed) seminary.
PS: I've always found that a Evangelical-Lewis connection a bit ironic given his prominent emphasis of the Ransom Theory of the atonement.
Yes, definitely. They’re part of the equation—ironic for many reasons, given some of his theological and cultural commitments. They were the first to panic when Harper stepped in to promote his back catalogue.
But without doubt: There would be no Lewis industry today without evangelical fans and institutional support.
We owe a debt of wonder to every creator that sealed the covenant of our confirmation, that guided the catechism of our souls. That welcomed us into a lineage, a genealogy. We are the successors of all the work that proceeded us. We pay the debt by paying it forward, by moving outward and on. Expansion and evolution and change. One stream that feeds a river, that feeds something bigger. That becomes something different. That becomes something new.
That’s really true and always worth remembering. As readers and writers, we’re participants in literary culture stretching through the ages since before Gilgamesh. It’s amazing—and humbling—to contemplate, actually.
Exactly! An invitation that's always available to us, that's always been available to us, one that will always be available to anyway. A truly open table, a welcomed seat for everyone. Whether we arrive by novel or by newsletter, it doesn't matter, it's all just the varying names for the ways we arrived at the gathering and the way we hope to invite others along.
It makes me angry that women have been disadvantaged, but as far as Gatsby, I think it's thematic appeal makes sense as a book that soldiers might particularly appreciate, since Gatsby himself was a troubled vet.
On another note, part of me says I'd better give up on my writing being my lasting legacy but then I think about how much I reveled in the dusty, random old books on my grandmother's bookshelf and say, "Well, you never know." :)
I worry that these days it feels like public libraries keep fewer books on their shelves and actually remove books from their collections more quickly in pursuit of the latest titles. When I started seriously diving into science fiction back in the ‘50s I started at A and read everything through Z and then started over. There were in fact only a few women authors to be found there in those days but I would at least try one book before moving on, and I don’t recall there being a separate Fantasy section in those days though only Tolkien interested me after a couple of tries at other books of the genre. I know that the used book charity shops I have volunteered at often decline to accept some of named fiction authors who seem to have an endless number of titles because they fill up shelf space and do not resell at any thing like the rate of other authors.
Rosemary Sutcliff is a favourite obscure author of mine who had a slight resurgence when one of her books 'The Eagle of the Ninth' became the inspiration for two Hollywood Sword and Sandal films, 'Centurion' and 'The Eagle'. I watched Centurion and disliked it enough not to watch The Eagle, since I loved the book - treating Sutcliff as a Sword and Sandal writer is a misunderstanding of the intent of her writing. But she still is not sufficiently republished for the average reader to be able to easily access her full body of work, which keeps her obscure.
There are a lot of popular American authors from the first half of the 1900s that didn't stand the test of time but had blockbuster Hollywood films made of their work between the 1920s-60s. Part of the reason for this is because the underpinning philosophy of their works was essentially out of tune with reality - for example, the wildly-popular-in-his-day Lloyd C. Douglas, author of 'Magnificent Obsession' and 'The Robe'. I read several of Douglas's works because elderly friends and relatives had them on their bookshelves, but they seemed like escapist fluff even to my young mind, with a vaguely liberal religiousity and a wiff of white supremacy about them. There were other white idealistic authors like Douglas around the same time - Eleanor H. Porter (A Girl of the Limberlost) and Harold Bell Wright (The Shepherd of the Hills) were very similar in style to Douglas and similarly not worth rereading. This year, I read Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God', which was written and published in the same era as Douglas's novels, and it was so much more relatable and concrete in its literary worth.
I had no idea about the campaign for book donations during World War II. That’s such a fascinating connection. In addition to what’s available and marketed to us, I have noticed that we like to read what other people are talking about so that we feel “in the know,” even if we don’t actually find that we enjoy them. It’s freeing to know that not all good authors are popular, and not all popular authors are good.
Molly Guptill Manning’s book, ‘When Books Went to War,’ tells the whole story. It’s fascinating. But, yes, so true on what’s popular. When something gets word-of-mouth going, it takes on a life of its own. Every author’s dream for just that reason. But so many books don’t really deserve it. I’ve tried reading a bit of Dan Brown, but I found ‘The Da Vinci Code’ unreadably bad.
So I am reading Mere Christianity for the first time, along with Brandon Edwards who is doing a weekly review. I wish I had read it a long time ago. But you mentioned A Year With C.S. Lewis. A friend gave it to me last December and I have been reading it. But I misplaced it, then forgot it and your mention sent me on a hunt. So it is now back on my desk. I admit to skipping any reading from Screwtape because they do not make sense to me separated from the book as a whole. Anyhow, you always have something interesting to share. Thank you!
You’re welcome, John! It’s a delight to do it. I used to have a copy of ‘A Year’ also but can’t find it. I must have given it away at some point. I’m thinking about a re-reading goal for next year. I might add Mere Christianity to the list.
"Parnassus on Wheels" was a recent "find" for me only because someone I admire, Sarah Mackenzie, recommended it. Christopher Morley's ardent love of books shines through in this novella, published in 1917. He combines that love with a bit of a dig at the publishing world too. A funny, sweet story.
We could unpack that sentence into an article of its own.
I’d likely start with what alertness means in this context. Knowledge of the industry, for sure, is a foundational component, but awareness of book marketing trends and a fearlessness in testing available touch points with other authors efforts is critical, too. Successfully resisting discouragement when hopeful sales figure don’t pan out is also important if one is to notice the more subtle opportunities. I know from personal experience what you noted about the author advocating for their work and the tremendous boost this gives to the perception pf the work in the eyes of potential readers. That, too, is a balancing act of tenacity and patience.
All these in concert set the stage for an author being alert and sober enough to catch sight of unexploited opportunities amidst the barrage of easily recognizable ones.
Come to think of it, I think recognizing those “unexploited opportunities” likely depends on the same foundation of alertness.
Totally. I often think about it from the editor’s side of things because they’re usually the ones signing the authors at publishing houses. When I held that role and I found something really choice, I wanted to move fast before any other editor had a chance to bid. Sometimes my promptness made the difference. Other times, I was late to the party but was the only editor to really see the potential in a book. Then there were the other times, I passed on something that proved big because I didn’t see it. I recently had a meeting with an author I rejected years ago; he reminded me of the fact—that book went on to do very well :)
Fascinating read! I’ve never thought much about the ‘could have beens’ of books, or the way that the concept of ‘classic’ books isn’t shaped by the ideal of quality alone.
I think John Williams ––Stoner and Augustus––had a similar renaissance about 20 years ago. I liked Stoner and loved Augustus.
When i think about whoever made the call to include Gatsby in the list sent to the armed services, I think about unheralded heroes. Just consider how many millions of hours of reading pleasure were granted to so many by the actions of a few people (Including Wilson).
Zadie Smith's The Fraud introduces me to William Harrison Ainsworth a Victorian novelist whose novel (Jack Sheppard) outsold Oliver Twist. From the little I've read thus far, I don't think Smith is trying to get people to read his books!
LOL. A good reminder for me. She’s in no danger of slipping from public view, but I’m woefully in the dark on Zadie Smith. I’ve never read any of her novels. I must remedy that!
Same, especially Screwtape. My mom had a copy, which I devoured several times over. Then I lucked out and found an audiobook version (cassette tapes!) with John Cleese reading. How cool is that?! I remember really like Mere Christianity but recoiling a bit from his treatment of the Holy Spirit. I argued with that book a bit :)
We might also say that Evangelicals saved Lewis. Wheaton College, the Notre Dame of Evangelicalism, houses a good bit of his work and artifacts, along with other early/mid-century Brits like Sayers and Tolkien. I discovered Lewis as a student at Gordon-Conwell, a Reformed, well, non-denominational (but definitely Reformed) seminary.
PS: I've always found that a Evangelical-Lewis connection a bit ironic given his prominent emphasis of the Ransom Theory of the atonement.
Yes, definitely. They’re part of the equation—ironic for many reasons, given some of his theological and cultural commitments. They were the first to panic when Harper stepped in to promote his back catalogue.
But without doubt: There would be no Lewis industry today without evangelical fans and institutional support.
Some writers are so ahead of their time and talented in prose it takes decades for the masses to catch up to their immense talent.
I think that’s true. Books have to speak to an audience. Sometimes that audience comes along later.
An excellent piece as always!
We owe a debt of wonder to every creator that sealed the covenant of our confirmation, that guided the catechism of our souls. That welcomed us into a lineage, a genealogy. We are the successors of all the work that proceeded us. We pay the debt by paying it forward, by moving outward and on. Expansion and evolution and change. One stream that feeds a river, that feeds something bigger. That becomes something different. That becomes something new.
That’s really true and always worth remembering. As readers and writers, we’re participants in literary culture stretching through the ages since before Gilgamesh. It’s amazing—and humbling—to contemplate, actually.
Exactly! An invitation that's always available to us, that's always been available to us, one that will always be available to anyway. A truly open table, a welcomed seat for everyone. Whether we arrive by novel or by newsletter, it doesn't matter, it's all just the varying names for the ways we arrived at the gathering and the way we hope to invite others along.
It makes me angry that women have been disadvantaged, but as far as Gatsby, I think it's thematic appeal makes sense as a book that soldiers might particularly appreciate, since Gatsby himself was a troubled vet.
On another note, part of me says I'd better give up on my writing being my lasting legacy but then I think about how much I reveled in the dusty, random old books on my grandmother's bookshelf and say, "Well, you never know." :)
I worry that these days it feels like public libraries keep fewer books on their shelves and actually remove books from their collections more quickly in pursuit of the latest titles. When I started seriously diving into science fiction back in the ‘50s I started at A and read everything through Z and then started over. There were in fact only a few women authors to be found there in those days but I would at least try one book before moving on, and I don’t recall there being a separate Fantasy section in those days though only Tolkien interested me after a couple of tries at other books of the genre. I know that the used book charity shops I have volunteered at often decline to accept some of named fiction authors who seem to have an endless number of titles because they fill up shelf space and do not resell at any thing like the rate of other authors.
Very enjoyable piece I just came across, thank you. The folks on the fantastic podcast Backlisted mentioned Ursula Parrott’s Ex-Wife just last month!
Just requested Ex-Wife from my library. Thanks for the suggestion.
Rosemary Sutcliff is a favourite obscure author of mine who had a slight resurgence when one of her books 'The Eagle of the Ninth' became the inspiration for two Hollywood Sword and Sandal films, 'Centurion' and 'The Eagle'. I watched Centurion and disliked it enough not to watch The Eagle, since I loved the book - treating Sutcliff as a Sword and Sandal writer is a misunderstanding of the intent of her writing. But she still is not sufficiently republished for the average reader to be able to easily access her full body of work, which keeps her obscure.
There are a lot of popular American authors from the first half of the 1900s that didn't stand the test of time but had blockbuster Hollywood films made of their work between the 1920s-60s. Part of the reason for this is because the underpinning philosophy of their works was essentially out of tune with reality - for example, the wildly-popular-in-his-day Lloyd C. Douglas, author of 'Magnificent Obsession' and 'The Robe'. I read several of Douglas's works because elderly friends and relatives had them on their bookshelves, but they seemed like escapist fluff even to my young mind, with a vaguely liberal religiousity and a wiff of white supremacy about them. There were other white idealistic authors like Douglas around the same time - Eleanor H. Porter (A Girl of the Limberlost) and Harold Bell Wright (The Shepherd of the Hills) were very similar in style to Douglas and similarly not worth rereading. This year, I read Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God', which was written and published in the same era as Douglas's novels, and it was so much more relatable and concrete in its literary worth.
I had no idea about the campaign for book donations during World War II. That’s such a fascinating connection. In addition to what’s available and marketed to us, I have noticed that we like to read what other people are talking about so that we feel “in the know,” even if we don’t actually find that we enjoy them. It’s freeing to know that not all good authors are popular, and not all popular authors are good.
Molly Guptill Manning’s book, ‘When Books Went to War,’ tells the whole story. It’s fascinating. But, yes, so true on what’s popular. When something gets word-of-mouth going, it takes on a life of its own. Every author’s dream for just that reason. But so many books don’t really deserve it. I’ve tried reading a bit of Dan Brown, but I found ‘The Da Vinci Code’ unreadably bad.
So I am reading Mere Christianity for the first time, along with Brandon Edwards who is doing a weekly review. I wish I had read it a long time ago. But you mentioned A Year With C.S. Lewis. A friend gave it to me last December and I have been reading it. But I misplaced it, then forgot it and your mention sent me on a hunt. So it is now back on my desk. I admit to skipping any reading from Screwtape because they do not make sense to me separated from the book as a whole. Anyhow, you always have something interesting to share. Thank you!
You’re welcome, John! It’s a delight to do it. I used to have a copy of ‘A Year’ also but can’t find it. I must have given it away at some point. I’m thinking about a re-reading goal for next year. I might add Mere Christianity to the list.
"Parnassus on Wheels" was a recent "find" for me only because someone I admire, Sarah Mackenzie, recommended it. Christopher Morley's ardent love of books shines through in this novella, published in 1917. He combines that love with a bit of a dig at the publishing world too. A funny, sweet story.
I’ll have to check that one out. Thanks!
“These unexploited opportunities require alertness.“
We could unpack that sentence into an article of its own.
I’d likely start with what alertness means in this context. Knowledge of the industry, for sure, is a foundational component, but awareness of book marketing trends and a fearlessness in testing available touch points with other authors efforts is critical, too. Successfully resisting discouragement when hopeful sales figure don’t pan out is also important if one is to notice the more subtle opportunities. I know from personal experience what you noted about the author advocating for their work and the tremendous boost this gives to the perception pf the work in the eyes of potential readers. That, too, is a balancing act of tenacity and patience.
All these in concert set the stage for an author being alert and sober enough to catch sight of unexploited opportunities amidst the barrage of easily recognizable ones.
Come to think of it, I think recognizing those “unexploited opportunities” likely depends on the same foundation of alertness.
Maybe? lol
Totally. I often think about it from the editor’s side of things because they’re usually the ones signing the authors at publishing houses. When I held that role and I found something really choice, I wanted to move fast before any other editor had a chance to bid. Sometimes my promptness made the difference. Other times, I was late to the party but was the only editor to really see the potential in a book. Then there were the other times, I passed on something that proved big because I didn’t see it. I recently had a meeting with an author I rejected years ago; he reminded me of the fact—that book went on to do very well :)
Fascinating read! I’ve never thought much about the ‘could have beens’ of books, or the way that the concept of ‘classic’ books isn’t shaped by the ideal of quality alone.
Nope. There are all sorts of factors at play, including a lot of luck.
I think John Williams ––Stoner and Augustus––had a similar renaissance about 20 years ago. I liked Stoner and loved Augustus.
When i think about whoever made the call to include Gatsby in the list sent to the armed services, I think about unheralded heroes. Just consider how many millions of hours of reading pleasure were granted to so many by the actions of a few people (Including Wilson).
Great post!
robertsdavidn.substack.com/about
Thanks, David! I’ve not read any John Williams. I might have to look him up.
Zadie Smith's The Fraud introduces me to William Harrison Ainsworth a Victorian novelist whose novel (Jack Sheppard) outsold Oliver Twist. From the little I've read thus far, I don't think Smith is trying to get people to read his books!
LOL. A good reminder for me. She’s in no danger of slipping from public view, but I’m woefully in the dark on Zadie Smith. I’ve never read any of her novels. I must remedy that!
I agree. She won't slip. And she's got a great collection of essays too.
I need to get aboard that train.
Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity are formative for me. I think of passages from them all the time.
Same, especially Screwtape. My mom had a copy, which I devoured several times over. Then I lucked out and found an audiobook version (cassette tapes!) with John Cleese reading. How cool is that?! I remember really like Mere Christianity but recoiling a bit from his treatment of the Holy Spirit. I argued with that book a bit :)