Lewis, Tolkien & the Inklings
I fell in love with the work of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis when I was in high school, and I have been studying them ever since. My first book about them, The Company They Keep, gives a detailed, inside look at the many ways they influenced each other. Then I wrote Bandersnatch to give practical insights, helping writers, artists, and others find ways to increase their innovation and productivity by doing what the Inklings did.
I travel often, presenting lectures, giving interviews, and writing articles about these important authors. Three questions compel me: What did they say to each other? What difference did it make to the books they were writing? And What can we learn from their example?
book
The Company They Keep
The Company They Keep is a detailed, in-depth look at the mutual influence of Lewis, Tolkien, and the Inklings. Reviewers call it “The definitive treatment of the Inklings,” praising it for its “fine writing, depth of scholarship, and stunning insights.” Buy it HERE:
book
Bandersnatch
Bandersnatch is an ideal introduction to the Inklings, and more: It suggests practical ways we can follow their lead. Buy it HERE:
‘’Bandersnatch is absolutely my go-to recommendation for anyone who is looking for a better understanding of the authors behind The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. It’s sophisticated enough to be a useful resource for serious Inklings studies (I require my students to read it), but it’s beautifully written and accessible to readers with no background knowledge at all. Even very casual fans of Lewis and Tolkien and their circle will find it interesting. Pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy.” — Matthew C. Jordan
The illustrations for Bandersnatch were done by my friend James A. Owen. We had so much fun collaborating on this project and hiding a Bandersnatch somewhere in each drawing.
Tolkien in the dining room of The Kilns
Michael Ward in the dining room of The Kilns
Warren Hamilton Lewis at the Kilns
Charles Williams at Magdalen College, Oxford
Here’s what’s wild: Fans of BANDERSNATCH starting “recreating” the drawings in the book by traveling and posing to take pictures.
Here is the chief instigator of the “Life Imitates Art” series:
Interested in seeing other contributions in the “Life Imitates Art” series?
Click HERE.
Keep an eye on the Bandersnatch Facebook Page for new contributions. And don’t hesitate to take your own “Life Imitates Art” Bandersnatch photos!
Please do. I’d love to see them.
talk
The Secret Every Tolkien Nerd Knows
This ten-minute talk was part of “Christmas in the Shire,” an evening of music and storytelling hosted by Glenkirk Church in Glendora, California.
Other presenters included Robert Watson and Carolee Mayne.
interview with The Trinity Forum
The Inklings, Creativity, and Community
On February 12th we were delighted to welcome award-winning author and professor Diana Glyer. Glyer is intrigued by the creative process, particularly the way that creativity thrives within small groups and creative clusters. She has written extensively on the lives and work of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their beloved community known as The Inklings.
lecture
Anselm Society
Finding Narnia in Middle-earth.” A lecture for the Anselm Society.
interview with The Babylon Bee
The Tolkien and Lewis Bromance
Yes, it’s true. I was invited to the secret headquarters of The Babylon Bee. After a couple of questions about the relationship between alcohol consumption and the invention of Tom Bombadil, these guys really got going. Good fun.
The Babylon Bee. “The Tolkien and Lewis Bromance: The Diana Glyer Interview.” Listen HERE.
learn more about
C.S. Lewis
Curious to know more about the three science fiction novels written by C. S. Lewis?
Have you read That Hideous Strength or Perelandra and wished for a clear and straightforward explanation of the allusions and images and themes hidden there?
Take a look at A Compass for Deep Heaven: Navigating the C. S. Lewis Ransom Trilogy.
collection of essays
Journey Back Home Again
Another Inklings-related book project is this collection of essays, entitled Journey Back Again: Reasons to Revisit Middle-earth. Published by the Mythopoeic Press, this book is a reader’s companion to The Lord of the Rings, a series of appreciative and insightful articles that illuminate details of this great story that you may have missed the first time through.
C.S. Lewis Bibliography
My goal for this bibliography is to list every book-length study of C.S. Lewis, giving readers a brief description of the content and also a sense of the quality and importance of this book. This project started as part of my 1998 article “A Reader’s Guide to Books about C. S. Lewis,” published in The Pilgrim’s Guide: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Witness
