FACT OF THE DAY: Is History Bunk? by Lewis was first published today (6/1) in 1957 in The Cambridge Review. It’s reprinted in Present Concerns. – – – QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There will always be those who, on discovering that history cannot really be turned to much practical account, will pronounce history to be …
Fact / Quote / Quiz: 3/25
FACT OF THE DAY: Today (3/25) in 1987 the US edition of Present Concerns, a collection of eighteen essays, became available. – – – QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Symbolism exists precisely for the purpose of conveying to the imagination what the intellect is not ready for.” Letter to Sister Penelope CSMV on 3/25/1943 (Published in The Collected …
Fact / Quote / Quiz: 1/21
FACT OF THE DAY: Lewis’s “Prudery and Philology” was published today (1/21) in 1955 in The Spectator. It is available in the Present Concerns book. – – – QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness.” The …
RETROSPECT: September 22nd – 30th
Highlights for September 22nd – 30th include: Debut story of a Sci-Fi trilogy, a landmark book published anonymously and the death of Lewis’s father to cancer.
It’s no secret that Lewis is known for being a versatile writer. One of his earliest efforts that spotlighted this fact is what happened on the 23rd in 1938. This is when Lewis released the first of what is referred to many fans as the Ransom trilogy. That’s because Dr. Elwin Ransom is a central character introduced in Out of the Silent Planet. Released a dozen years before the Narnia stories, some call this his first imaginative apologetic work. Apparently Lewis himself wasn’t aware of how useful of a tool fiction could be to present Christian ideas in a latent way. It was
Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: September 4th
FACT OF THE DAY:
On this date (9/4) in 1943 “My First School” was printed in Time and Tide as “Notes on the Way.” Reprinted in Present Concerns.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Only children quarrel about whether pancakes are nice or nasty, but grown men quarrel about whether an act is right or wrong.”
Answers to Listeners’ Question transcript
(BBC Broadcast from 9/3/1941 known as “Some Objections” in Broadcast Talks)
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QUIZ OF THE DAY:
How many languages has the Chronicles of Narnia been translated into?
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)
RETROSPECT: September 1st – 11th
Highlights for September 1-11 include: Two Narnia books published, a final fictional work, being on the cover of Time in the U.S. and his only title devoted to a book of the Bible.
Time CoverThe number of books published over the years during these ten days would be enough for most authors for an entire lifetime. Although, two of the titles are collections of shorter works were released after his death, interestingly the five others were during the last eleven years of his life. An additional title, A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C.S. Lewis, is a lesser known collection of quotes first available in March, 1968, but was published as a paperback on the 9th in 1980.
RETROSPECT: August 22nd – 31st
Highlights for August 22nd – 31st include: An unfortunate childhood loss, letters from Screwtape on gluttony and love, and the radio broadcast of the last chapter of what’s now book one of Mere Christianity.
As mentioned during a previous column last month, Lewis lost his wife to cancer. The second most significant loss for him was during his childhood, when his mother, Florence Augusta Hamilton Lewis, died on the 23rd in 1908. This was also due to cancer. Although Lewis had prayed for his mother to live, he reports not actually being a Christian at the time
RETROSPECT: August 12th – 21st
Highlights for August 12-21 include: A final series of radio talks, the concluding book of a series, two more talks from his initial broadcast series and a never before published essay by Lewis that became available in 1990.
The first scholarly book by Lewis was The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition. The theme of love in a broader sense is (obviously) of great importance to him and can be found in a large variety of his writings. So it is of no surprise that when Lewis finally agreed to return to the microphone for another series of radio talks this was the theme. These talks were recorded in London on the 19th and 20th in 1958, but they were not done for the BBC (as his previous radio work was). It was the Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation from the United States who had made the request. Eventually the material from these talks were extended to become The Four Loves.
Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: July 28th
FACT OF THE DAY:
The lighthearted essay “A Dream” was first published on this date (7/28) in 1944 in The Spectator. It’s available in Present Concerns.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“In my waking hours I would never [approve some actions]. But the dreaming mind is regrettably immoral.”
A Dream
(Published in The Spectator on 7/28/1945)
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QUIZ OF THE DAY:
Which of the Narnia books did Lewis NOT dedicated to anyone?
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)
Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: July 10th
FACT OF THE DAY:
Present Concerns, an essay collection, came out on this day (July 10) in 1986. At the time all 19 essays had not previously been collected.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“The knight…is not a compromise or happy mean between ferocity and meekness; he is fierce to the nth and meek to the nth.”
The Necessity of Chivalry
(Available in Present Concern published 7/10/1986)
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QUIZ OF THE DAY:
Who was the last king of Narnia?
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)