C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), author of "The Chronicles of Narnia" books. (Photograph by Arthur Strong, 1947.) coutresy of www.wikipedia.org)

Clive Staples Lewis (known as “Jack” to his friends) was a Christian theologian, thinker, and author of many books, including The Chronicles of Narnia series. He was born November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Ireland. He attended boarding school as a child, where he had a miserable time. His mother died when he was 11. He drew upon these experiences while writing the Narnia books.

He studied at Cherbourg School in Malvern, England, where he became a classicist and medievalist. He then fought in the British Army on the frontlines of World War I. After returning, he finished college at Oxford, eventually becoming a tutor there, teaching medieval literature.

At Oxford, he befriended professor J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. While Lewis was a staunch atheist, Tolkien helped convert him to Christianity in the 1930s. The two joined a local writers’ club called the Inklings, which met in a pub called The Eagle and Child (or “The Bird and Baby,” as the locals called it). The club also included Charles Williams and Owen Barfield, among others.

He went on to write many novels, including The Space Trilogy, Till We Have Faces, and The Screwtape Letters, and books on Christian apologetics, like The Problem of Pain, The Abolition of Man, and Mere Christianity. In 1950, he published The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first of the seven Chronicles of Narnia books.

In 1956, despite his belief that he would remain a consummate bachelor, he married an American woman named Joy Davidman Gresham. They were married for three years until she died of cancer in 1960. Her death became the basis for A Grief Observed, a book where he attempts to reconcile his faith with his pain.

Lewis died November 22, 1963, the same day as Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, and President John F. Kennedy.

You can learn more about Lewis here.