Today I’ve got a bonus episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast—a conversation with Douglas Gresham. Douglas is the stepson of C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • what C. S. Lewis was really trying to do with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
  • what he wishes more people knew about his stepfather
  • Patti Callahan’s new book, Becoming Mrs. Lewis–what he thinks and about its accuracy

Douglas Gresham’s mother became friends with C. S. Lewis through correspondence when he was a child.

The friendship blossomed, eventually leading to marriage in 1956. His mother, Joy Gresham, died of cancer in 1960, and C. S. Lewis continued to raise Douglas and his brother.

Lewis had adopted the boys when he married, and The Horse and His Boy is dedicated to them both.

I really enjoyed this conversation.

Quotes to remember:

“[C.S . Lewis] didn’t set out to write a series, he set out to write one book to demonstrate what children’s books should be like.”-Douglas Gresham

He never forgot what it felt like to be a child, what sorts of things children delighted in. They were there for him to put into the books because he still had them within himself. He understood children very well, he understood what children liked to read.” -Douglas Gresham

“Even when my mother was dying, they still had their senses of humor— both of them. I think that’s important to know about Jack, that he was enormously humorous.” – Douglas Gresham

Books from this episode:

(All links are affiliate links.)

The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set: Full-Color Collector’s Edition
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Magician’s Nephew: The Chronicles of Narnia
The C. S. Lewis Signature Classics (8-Volume Box Set): An Anthology of 8 C. S. Lewis Titles: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, Miracles, The … The Abolition of Man, and The Four Loves
Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis
Jack’s Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis
Prince Caspian
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Last Battle
The Silver Chair: The Chronicles of Narnia
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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