I will order They Shall be My People16 and look forward to it. Congratulations. For my own part, I have been given a year’s leave from all teaching duties to enable me to finish my book on XVIth century literature, so I am plugging away at that as hard as I can. My hope is to kill some popular mythology about that fabulous monster called ‘the Renaissance’. There are five fairy tales already written, of which the second has now appeared.
‘lane’ died almost a year ago, after a long but, thank God, painless illness. I beg you will often pray for her. She was an unbeliever and, in later years, very jealous, exacting, and irascible, but always tender to the poor and to animals.
Your hand is better than mine (to read, I mean—it may hurt more).
Yes, oremus, oremus.
Yours very sincerely.
C. S. Lewis
TO I. O. EVANS (W):
Magdalen etc
10/1/52
Dear Evans–
Thanks for the play,17 and for the other chap’s stories.18 I liked the play very much. You made the astrology of the Magi v. convincing and Simeon was quite a character. I hope the performance pleased you?
As for the stories—the author writes a great deal better than most of the ‘science fiction’ lot, and is pretty learned. But oh, if only he didn’t try to be comic! The Norse story19 was far the best, for in its atmosphere rough horse-play did no harm. But the attempts at humour in the other two ruined them for me. I can’t bear Britomart getting drunk and maudlin. In Ariosto’s world there is, of course, plenty of comedy: but not of the kind this author puts in! Perhaps I expected too much. With all good wishes for the new year.
Yours
C. S. Lewis
TO HARRY BIAMIRES (BOD):
Magdalen.
19/1/52
Dear Blamires (I wish you’d call me Lewis instead of Dr. Lewis)
I have read through the revised passages.20 They all seem to me v. sound now. A few minor points remain: p. 1. animal kind. Just a slight danger of anbiguity between kind = sort (i.e. are animalic) and kind = species (animal-kind or mankind). P. 24. para 3 especially brutal. I’d prefer cruel. Brutal is unfortunate because the use of brutal to mean cruel is itself an instance of the same figure that leads to inhuman meaning cruel. P. 72 End of footnote. Wd. common dependence be better than communal. The latter might mean that we don’t have in common a personal dependence but only a corporate dependence. P. 73 para 2. I’m not quite happy about ‘authority of service’. P. 74. Isn’t the quotation ‘come full circle’ not gone. (I haven’t looked this up).
About your kind compliment to me in the Preface, I like it of course. The real question is whether it will do you good or harm. I am much hated as well as much loved and the connection with me will damn you with certain reviewers. I’d advise you to omit it, but you must do exactly as you please.
They were wrong in saying I was away that Friday and I’m sorry they did, because I had staying with me a man whom I wd. like you to have met. He has read your previous books & likes them, and has in common with you the qualities of being (a.) A Christian—R. C. (b.) A schoolmaster (c.) An old pupil of mine. Not that you are exactly a schoolmaster. His name is G. Sayer (The College, Malvern)
Of course you were right to send me the MS. All best wishes: you are doing a most valuable work.
Yours
C. S. Lewis
TO CAROL JENKINS (W): 21
REF.52/60
Magdalen College,
Oxford. 22nd January 1952.
Dear Miss Jenkins,
It is a pleasure to answer your question. I found the name22 in the notes to Lane’s Arabian Nights:23 it is the Turkish for Lion. I pronounce it Ass-Ian myself. And of course I meant the Lion of ludah. I am so glad you liked the book.24 I hope you will like the sequel (Prince Caspian) which came out in November.
Yours sincerely,
C. S. Lewis
TO WILLIAM L. KINTER(BOD): TS
REF.52/64.
Magdalen College,
Oxford. 22nd January 1952.
Dear Mr. Kinter,
By an odd coincidence your very handsome and acceptable gift arrived by the same post as the enclosed letter: which I send to you as a proof that I was not so rude as to ignore your very interesting and welcome letter of last year. Wise after the event, I now see that you were merely on a visit to New York, and had not changed your permanent address.
You cannot imagine what the arrival of a ham means to the average British household these days: it would be untrue to say that we are short of food, but our sufficiency is a very monotonous one, and such luxuries as you have sent me have a very cheering effect.
With very many thanks, and all best wishes for 1952,
yours sincerely,
C. S. Lewis
TO WAYLAND HILTON YOUNG (P): 25
Magdalen College,
Oxford. Jan 31st 1952
Dear Mr. Hilton Young
Lanes26 have sent me a copy of your paper on my novels, and suggested that we shd. meet. If you could run down and lunch with me in college on any day next month except the 7th and 12th (Sundays are bad, but possible) I’d be delighted to have a talk afterwards. But—would it be a risk? I have an idea that a critic and a book are company, but that the author is de trop.27 Wd. my Milton book have been improved or ruined by a meeting with Milton? Because, you see, there is hardly any limit to our disagreements about my trilogy.
But ought you to take any notice of the fact? When I’ve said that there is no allegory in it, and that there’s nothing at all about the Second Coming in T.H.S.,28 you may reply ‘Well, that is what the books mean to an intelligent reader and what does it matter what you