Christian Post Report – World War I crushed the spirits of many great 20th century writers. But not Tolkien or C. S. Lewis. A great new book explains why.
To Christians, and even to many non-Christians, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien represent something special — a Christian literary renaissance of the 20th century. These two friends published works of great power and endurance, saturated with a Christian worldview. But was it only faith and friendship that made their work unique and so great? What other factors might have played a role?
My good friend and King’s College history professor Joe Loconte identifies one such factor in his marvelous new book, “A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War.” As the title suggests, Loconte focuses on the life-altering role that Lewis’s and Tolkien’s service in World War I played in both men’s lives. In fact, we can’t fully understand these two writers without knowing something about how this cataclysmic event helped define them and their generation.