Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics

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CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Aug 3, 2009 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 100 pages
"Spirits in Bondage" is the first published work of C. S. Lewis. He wrote it during a period of great contrasts in his life. On the one hand, he was enjoying his last year under the private tutorship of W. T. Kirkpatrick, who expanded Lewis' love for Greek literature, mythology, and reason. On the other hand, he enlisted in the British army to fight in the trenches of World War I, a messy reality that must have seemed irreconcilable to the beauty of words and clarity of reason he had come to know through his studies. Not surprisingly, this moving, masterfully crafted cycle of lyrics is marked both by Romanticism and Cynicism. Beauty and the trenches are equally present in these poems. They show us an anguished soul that struggles with the conflicting experiences in this world. Come and join C. S. Lewis on his stormy voyage.

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About the author (2009)

C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis, "Jack" to his intimates, was born on November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. His mother died when he was 10 years old and his lawyer father allowed Lewis and his brother Warren extensive freedom. The pair were extremely close and they took full advantage of this freedom, learning on their own and frequently enjoying games of make-believe. These early activities led to Lewis's lifelong attraction to fantasy and mythology, often reflected in his writing. He enjoyed writing about, and reading, literature of the past, publishing such works as the award-winning The Allegory of Love (1936), about the period of history known as the Middle Ages. Although at one time Lewis considered himself an atheist, he soon became fascinated with religion. He is probably best known for his books for young adults, such as his Chronicles of Narnia series. This fantasy series, as well as such works as The Screwtape Letters (a collection of letters written by the devil), is typical of the author's interest in mixing religion and mythology, evident in both his fictional works and nonfiction articles. Lewis served with the Somerset Light Infantry in World War I; for nearly 30 years he served as Fellow and tutor of Magdalen College at Oxford University. Later, he became Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University. C.S. Lewis married late in life, in 1957, and his wife, writer Joy Davidman, died of cancer in 1960. He remained at Cambridge until his death on November 22, 1963.

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