A journey into the imaginative life of C.S. Lewis exploring the themes and life events that allowed an Oxford don, a scholar of medieval literature who loved to debate philosophy at his local pub, to write one of the most enduring classics of children's literature.

C.S. Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. Yet among his poetry, literary history and criticism, novels and Christian apologetics stands a unique, delightfully imaginative children's series called The Chronicles of Narnia, which have become enduring classics. Alan Jacobs takes this imaginary world of Narnia, that has captivated children and adults alike for years, and uses the themes and stories found within to explore the imaginative life of C.S. Lewis.

Few things are more interesting to human beings than trying to figure out how another human being (espeically a profoundly gifted one) works. Not just a conventional, straightforward biography of Lewis, Jacobs instead seeks a more elusive quarry: an understanding of the way Lewis's experiences, both direct and literary, formed themselves into patterns–themes that then shaped his thought and writings, especially the stories of Narnia. It is in the Narnia stories that we see the most of Lewis, and this illuminating biography delivers a true picture of the life and imagination of the Narnian.