The Inklings
C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends

Name: The Inklings
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Humphrey Carpenter
ISBN: 9781538483930

Author: Humphrey Carpenter

Narrator: Bernard Mayes

Unabridged: 12 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 12/12/1990

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Memoirs, Literary Collections

Synopsis

During the 1930s at Oxford, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams—remarkable friends, writers, and scholars—met regularly to discuss philosophy and literature and to read aloud from their own works in progress. Calling themselves the Inklings, their circle grew. It was in this company that such classics as The Lord of the Rings, The Screwtape Letters, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first found an audience.Author Humphrey Carpenter was born in Oxford and was acquainted with Tolkien, Hugo Dyson, and several other Inklings. In this remarkable reconstruction of their meetings and momentous friendships, Carpenter brings to life those warm and enchanting evenings in Lewis' rooms at Magdalen College, when their imaginations ran wild. His account offers exciting insights into the influence these brilliant individuals had on each other's developing ideas and writing.

About Humphrey Carpenter

Humphrey Carpenter (1946–2005) was a prolific biographer and a highly entertaining broadcaster for BBC Radio. He authored many notable biographies, including The Brideshead Generation and J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography.

About Bernard Mayes

Bernard Mayes is a teacher, administrator, corporate executive, broadcaster, actor, dramatist, and former international commentator on US culture. He is best known for his readings of historical classics.

Reviews

Goodreads review by T.R. on July 26, 2022

I loved reading this book. I actually bought it myself from a bookstore in Oxford in England when I was there on a trip with my family. There are a lot of interesting details about Tolkien in here that I deeply appreciated. I highly recommend this book for fans of both Lewis and Tolkien.......more

Goodreads review by Kris on August 18, 2023

Overall, it’s worth reading if you are studying Lewis. He does talk about the other men (for example, there were also some interesting details about Warnie and John Wain that I hadn’t seen before). But it’s half an Inklings discussion, and half a biography of C. S. Lewis. The author admits this earl......more

Goodreads review by Melindam on March 14, 2021

A very interesting and well-researched book mostly on Lewis and his friendship with Tolkien + other contemporary writers some of whom I knew nothing about before.......more

Goodreads review by Nicholas on February 21, 2016

A slightly rambling account of the Inklings, focusing mainly on C. S. Lewis, with Tolkien and Charles Williams as supporting actors. It's always pleasant to spend time with these people (even if Charles Williams was certifiably insane). The only issue I have with this book is the strangely detached......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on March 15, 2023

It’s 1942. America has just entered the Great War against fascism. Winston Churchill is Prime Minister and has just made an alliance with FDR and Stalin. And you’ve just been invited to a local pub in Oxford nicknamed ‘The Bird and Baby’. A group of professors who meet every Tuesday and Thursday nig......more

Quotes

“A constantly enjoyable volume.” John Carey, Sunday Times (London)

“A triumph of skill and tact! not one dull or slack sentence.” Kingsley Amis, New Statesman

“It must be technically very difficult to write a biography of more than one person at a time: it is still more difficult to capture the atmosphere of a group! Mr Carpenter has managed both things admirably.” Mary Warnock, Sunday Telegraph (London)