The Oxford Inklings tells the story of the friendships, mutual influence, and common purpose of the Inklings - the literary circle which congregated around C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Meeting in pubs or Lewis's college rooms, they included an influential array of literary figures. They were, claimed poet and novelist John Wain, bent on the task of redirecting the whole current of contemporary art and life . Tolkien and Lewis expert Colin Duriez unpacks the Inklings' origins, relationships, and the nature of their collaboration. He shows how they influenced, encouraged, and moulded each other. Duriez also covers the less celebrated Inklings, neglected, he claims, for too long. What did they owe - and offer - to the more acknowledged names? What brought them together? And what, eventually, drove them apart from their initial focus upon each other's writings?
By:
Colin Duriez
Imprint: LION PUBLISHING GROUP
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 1st New edition
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 130mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 318g
ISBN: 9780745956343
ISBN 10: 0745956343
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 02 March 2015
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Contents Preface 11 Introduction C.S. Lewis and the dinosaurs 15 Chapter 1 Through love and beyond: Charles Williams, the enigmatic Inkling 28 Chapter 2 Roots and shoots: Friends who will become Inklings 46 Chapter 3 The 1920s: Oxford, wistful dreams, and a war with Owen Barfield 65 Chapter 4 J.R.R. Tolkien returns to Oxford and C .S. Lewis meets God 91 Chapter 5 The birth of the Inklings 109 Chapter 6 The 1930s: Writing books they liked to read 132 Chapter 7 The war years and the Golden Age of the Inklings 154 Chapter 8 The close of the Golden Age 172 Chapter 9 The Final Years 192 Chapter 10 A fter the Inklings 210 Chapter 11 Just a Group of Friends? 217 Appendix 1 A n Inklings gallery 230 Appendix 2 A select Inklings chronology 238 Bibliography 252 Notes 260 Index 275 Acknowledgments 288
Colin Duriez is an expert on C.S. Lewis, his writings and also his wider circle. He is also the author of the popular biography C.S. Lewis: A biography of friendship and J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend (both published by Lion Books). He has also written widely on other aspects of Lewis, Tolkien and the other members of the Inklings, and has contributed to conferences, lectures, DVDs and documentaries on these subjects.
Reviews for The Oxford Inklings: Lewis, Tolkien and Their Circle
“Excellent! This is one of the best books on the Inklings I’ve ever read.” -- Walter Hooper, Literary Advisor to the C.S. Lewis Estate “Few people know the Inklings as intimately as Duriez who makes us feel as though he has just come from a morning with them at the Eagle and Child.” -- Harry Lee Poe, author of The Inklings of Oxford and C.S. Lewis Remembered “Just when I thought nothing new could be said about Lewis, Tolkien, Barfield, Williams, and the others, gifted author Colin Duriez presents fresh and fascinating insights.” -- Carolyn Curtis, author
