Clive Staples Lewis

Writer, Poet and Novelist

On 22nd November 2013, the fiftieth anniversary of his death in 1963, a memorial stone was unveiled to writer, scholar and poet C.S. Lewis in Poets' Corner Westminster Abbey. The greenish marble stone was designed by Wayne Hart and is in the central part of the area at the base of a pillar. A conference was also held at St Margaret's Westminster as part of the memorial project. The inscription, which comes from an address by Lewis entitled 'Is theology poetry?', gives his name and dates in the centre:

C.S.Lewis

1898-1963

and around this:

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen,

not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else

He was born in Belfast on 29th November 1898 a son of Albert and Florence. He was educated in England with his brother Warren. During the Great War he was wounded at the battle of Arras. He was a Fellow and Tutor of English Literature at Oxford university and later Chair of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge. Today he is perhaps best known for his seven Chronicles of Narnia. He also wrote science fiction and was a friend of J.R.R. Tolkien. During the Second World War he gave many radio broadcasts, later published as Mere Christianity, together with other books based on his talks. In 1956 he married Mrs Joy Gresham, who died a few years later. The drama 'Shadowlands' portrayed this part of his life. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Headington, Oxford.