Category Books

What was CS Lewis famous for?

C.S. Lewis gained acclaim as a children’s author for his classic series The Chronicles of Narnia. He also gained acclaim for his popular apologetics, including such works as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. What is more, he gained acclaim as a science fiction writer for his Ransom Trilogy.

Narnia is a land of adventure and magic. Here animals talk and one’s imagination knows no bounds. There is a talking lion, there is a wardrobe that hies you away to the land of Narnia where adventures are waiting to begin.

The story chronicles the adventures of the four children, Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund, when they enter Narnia through an old wardrobe. There they join forces with the lion Aslan in the fight with the wicked White Witch. The Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies till date.

Lewis was born on November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. He wrote around 40 books, reaching out to a vast section of readers including children and adults.. Lewis was also an academic. He taught English Literature at Oxford University until 1954.

Childhood

Lewis grew up in a household that gave importance to reading and education. Did you know that Lewis was more like a prodigy? He started reading at the age of three and by the age of five, he started writing stories.

The stories revolved around a fantasy land filled with “dressed animals”. This collection of early stories was published as “Boxen: The Imaginary World of the Young C.S. Lewis (1985)”.

Early years

Lewis served in France with the Somerset Light Infantry in World War I. He later started his studies at Oxford. He became a tutor at Magdalen College, Oxford, and later a professor at the University of Cambridge.

Lewis as a writer “Out of the Silent Planet’ (1938), was his first work of fiction that garnered attention. This was followed by “Perelandra” (1943) and ‘That Hideous Strength” (1945) which were both successful. These three novels form a science-fiction trilogy that revolves around the journeys of an English linguist named Elwin Ransom. “The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition” (1936) was Lewis’ first scholarly work.

The enduring appeal of Narnia

It all started in 1950, when “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was published. Soon it was followed by a series of six stories that came to be called “The Chronicles of Narnia”, a children’s fantasy book series. The books were then adapted for the big and the small screens. With the series, its author C.S. Lewis became one of the well-loved children’s book authors.

During World War II, four 5 siblings are sent to a safe place to protect themselves from the And at this country house, in the backdrop of all the carnage of the war, they find a magic door, a door to an adventure land- Narnia. One day, Lucy, the youngest of the siblings finds a wardrobe that takes her to the land of talking animals, dwarves, giants and so on. Once she returns from Narnia, she takes her siblings to the adventure land, the place which is at war. Aslan, the talking lion, is gathering an army to fight the evil White Witch who has cursed Narnia with eternal winter. The cousins join the army and fight the war and win, eventually good triumphs over evil. For the children, the wardrobe and Narnia are their escape from the real world, but they triumph in the war they get embroiled in at Narnia. The juxtaposition of the real war with that of the war in the fantasy world of Narnia explores the themes of existence, life and its meaning.

In 1956, Lewis married Joy Davidman Gresham. Six months after their marriage, his wife was diagnosed with advanced cancer. Although her cancer went into a period of remission, the disease returned and she died in 1960. Lewis channelled all his grief into his book “A Grief Observed”, published in 1961. The 1993 biographical drama “Shadowlands” fictionalised their relationship

In 1963 Lewis wrote his last book “Letters to Malcolm.” He died at the age of 64 in 1963.

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Who was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?

Long, entertaining and enticing. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poems take you on a memorable trip down U.S. history. Hailed for their musical verses, Longfellow’s poems are treasured and widely translated even today. Some of us might have even studied them as part of our syllabus. Prominent public figures from Abraham Lincoln and Charles Dickens to Charles Baudelaire were admirers of his poetry.

Born on February 27, 1807 in Portland, Maine in the U.S., Longfellow started his career as a professor at Bowdoin College and later at Harvard College. But he gave up teaching in 1854 to focus on his writing. His works “Evangeline” (1847), “The Song of Hiawatha” (1855), and “Paul Revere’s Ride” (1860) cemented his place as one of the iconic poets of the U.S. He was the first American to translate Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy”.

Popular works

Let’s take a look at some of his noteworthy poems and the history behind them…

“Paul Revere’s Ride”

Written in a manner that suggests the galloping of a horse, Longfellow writes about the actions of American patriot Paul Revere in this poem. Revere is known for his midnight horse ride to alert the colonial militia in April 1775 to the approach of British forces. Longfellow wrote this epic poem as the U.S. moved towards a civil war. Though the poem has been criticised for its factual inaccuracies, it has been hailed as a call for courage.

“The Song of Hiawatha”

A long poem about the life of the Native Indians, “The Song of Hiawatha” tells the tale of Hiawatha, an Ojibwa Indian who becomes his people’s leader after performing feats of courage.

“Evangeline”

A sentimental poem, “Evangeline” follows a young couple separated when British soldiers expel the French colonists from what is now Nova Scotia. The couple, Evangeline and Gabriel, are reunited years later as Gabriel is dying.

Translating Dante

Longfellow lost the will to write after the death of his second wife 1861. She died after her dress accidentally caught fire. Seeking comfort in spirituality, he translated ‘The Divine Comedy” by Dante. He also wrote six sonnets on Dante that are among his finest poems.

Other works:

  • “Poems on Slavery” (1842)
  • “The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems” (1845)
  • “The Courtship of Miles Standish” (1858)
  • “The Golden Legend” (1851)
  • “The Masque of Pandora and Other Poems” (1875)
  • “The Seaside and Fireside” (1849)

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyer recited lines from Longfellow’s 1849 poem The Building of the Ship,” during Trump’s impeachment trial on February 10. 2021. The famous lines from the poem are: “Fear not each sudden sound and shock, Tis of the wave and not the rock.”
  • The Portland Gazette published Longfellow’s first poem at the age of 13.
  • Longfellow was a dog lover! His family had many pets, but Trap the Scotch Terrier was his favourite.
  • Longfellow is the only American to be honored with a bust in Westminster Abbey in London, England. His marble bust was placed in the Poet’s Comer in 1884.
  • One of his students at Harvard University was Henry David Thoreau.
  • Longfellow was a polyglot and could speak eight languages.

 

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What is Charles Dickens most famous work?

Charles Dickens depicted the best of times and the worst of times through his books. Full of wit, astute observations, and autobiographical experience, they offer a realistic portrayal of the Victorian society in the 19th Century.

Hard times

Born in England in 1812, Dickens’ family fell back on hard times when his father was sent to a debtors’ prison. Just 12 years of age, Dickens was forced to drop out of school and work in a shoe polish factory to repay the debts.

A debtors’ prison was where people unable to pay their debts were incarcerated in the 19th Century. With its dingy rooms and stale food, people lived in wretched conditions in these places. They either have to do hard labour or secure outside funds to repay their debts.

At the factory, Dickens worked ten hours a day, Monday through Saturday, pasting labels onto individual pots of polish. All he received was six shillings per week. He toiled in the factory for nearly a year before his father was released from prison. Dickens recounted the harsh conditions he experienced in the factory in his semi-autobiographical novel “David Copperfield and it continued to shape his writing.

Beating the odds

Learning shorthand on his own, Dickens became a journalist and worked as a court reporter. He went on to edit a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles.

Controversy

Although he is highly regarded as a writer, Dickens’ reputation is far from unblemished. Some of his works have been criticised for their racist and xenophobic views.

Significant works

Dickens is credited with popularising serialised novels. “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club” (popularly known as “The Pickwick Papers”) was published in instalments over 19 issues from March 1836 to October 1837. Dickens wrote most of “The Pickwick Papers” under the pseudonym Boz. His other popular works include “Great Expectations”, “Oliver Twist”, “A Tale of Two Cities” and “A Christmas Carol”.

Did you know?

  • India connection: Dickens’ second son, Lietuenant Walter Landor Dickens died in Kolkata in 1864. His original grave is located at the Bhowanipore Cemetery, while his tombstone has been moved to South Park Street Cemetery.
  • More than cats or dogs, Dickens preferred the company of ravens. His pet raven was named Grip. After its death, Dickens had the bird stuffed and mounted in a display case. You can view it at the Free Library in Philadelphia in the U.S. In fact, Grip also features in his novel “Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty”. It is also believed that Edgar Allan Poe, a friend of Dickens, was inspired by Grip when writing “The Raven”, one of his most celebrated poems.
  • While working in the shoe polish factory, Dickens used to visit his parents in prison on Sundays.
  • The greeting ‘Merry Christmas’ became popular after A Christmas Carol was published.
  • He called his favourite daughter Kate, “Lucifer Box” because her temper could flare up in an instant.
  • Dickens is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with introducing no less than 247 new words and usages into the language including “butter-fingers”, “fluffiness” and the verb “to manslaughter”.

 

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What kind of genre is slice of life?

As the name suggests, slice of life is a genre of fiction that captures the essence of everyday life. Instead of narrating a person’s entire life, these books focus on select events that occur at a particular point in time.

What makes slice of life appealing is though the characters are fictional, the story has no frills, and depicts significant events from people’s lives. Often slice of life stories throw light on a period in history. For instance, Laura Ingall Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie” books give a slice-of-life account of the pioneers to the American Midwest.

In theatre, the term “slice of life” refers to a naturalistic representation of real life. The term originated between 1890 and 1895 from the French phrase ‘tranche de vie’, credited to the French playwright Jean Jullien.

Often, slice of life books lack a traditional plot. They might not have any conflict or dramatic occurrences. They progress slowly, but pay attention to even the minutest details of the character’s life at a given time. They are considered to be faithful reproductions of real life.

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “The Anne of Green Gables” series is a classic example. It is a slice of life centred on a young woman aspiring to be a writer.

Manga and animé

Slice of life is also a popular genre in Japanese animé and manga. Unlike in literature, slice of life in manga is unrealistic. Packed with melodrama in typical manga style, it shows too many dramatic events in the characters life over a short span of time.

Examples:

In literature:

  • “The Fault in Our Stars Looking for Alaska” and “Paper Towns” by John Green
  • “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
  • “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
  • “The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling
  • “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult
  • “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery

 

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What are the most popular types of children’s books?

Family matters

A bitter-sweet tale of the March family, Lousia May Alcott’s “Little Women” will fill you up with the warmth of friendship and family. A semi-autobiographical book, “Little Women” is loosely based upon Alcott’s family – she was the second of four daughters. Despite being published in 1868, the coming-of-age story of the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy – remains timeless and universal. It tells of love and loss, aspirations and dreams that the sister’s experience on their journey to adulthood.

Over the years, the classic has been adapted into many films and plays. The 1994 film adaptation is one of the most acclaimed version with Winona Ryder as Jo and Christian Bale as Laurie. In 2019, Greta Gerwig’s adaptation was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Winds of change

Kenneth Graham’s “The Wind in the Willows” has been adored from generation to generation. In this enduring classic, we meet his splendid animal characters: Mole, Rat, Mr. Toad and Mr. Badger, and revel in their adventures on the banks of the River Thames. Told in Graham’s gorgeous lyrical prose, readers will be transported with tales of Toad Hall, the Wild Wood. This book is an endearing treasure. Grahame wrote this classic after retiring from his job as a bank secretary and moving to Berkshire. He spent much of his time next to the River Thames and got the idea to expand the bedtime stories he used to tell his son Alastair.

An English summer

From the “Famous Five” and “Secret Seven” to the “Malory Towers” and “Adventures of the Wishing Chair”, Enid Blyton has a story for every age group. But her ‘The Faraway Tree’ series is one that has universal appeal. Jo, Bessie and Fanny come across an ancient tree in the middle of an enchanted forest. The tree is so gigantic that its top reaches clouds that hold magical lands! Together with the tree’s unique inhabitants such as Moonface, Saucepean Man and Silky the pixie, the cousins explore different worlds on top of the tree.

Adventures of Anne

Between 1908 and 1939, Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote seven books about an imaginative, talkative, high-spirited girl named Anne Shirley. Set in the 20th century, in a fictitious town of Avonlea on the tiny Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, “Anne of Green Gables” is the most popular book in the series. And no wonder. It is pure joy to read. It follows the adventures of Anne, a sweet-natured and cheerful girl with bright red hair. An 11-year-old orphan, she is mistakenly sent to live with the Cuthbert family, who had originally intended to adopt a boy. Anne has a quirky imagination and a vivacious manner, which makes her a likeable character. As she gets into hilarious mishaps and merry mischief, you will find yourself rooting for this red-haired girl!

An unlikely friendship

Published in October, 1952, “Charlotte’s Web” is one of the most popular children’s books by E.B. White. A young Fern Arable saves the life of a newborn pig on her father’s farm. She names him Wilbur and nurtures him lovingly. However, when she grows up, she is forced to sell Wilbur to her uncle who intends to slaughter him for food. That’s when Charlotte, a barn spider, who can read and write come up with a way to save Wilbur’s life. With the help of other farm animals, Charlotte convinces the Zuckerman family that Wilbur is actually quite special by weaving words and short phrases in praise of Wilbur into her web. The book weaves a heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship.

HEAR, HEAR

  • Here’s a list of some of classics that are now available for free as audio books:
  • “Frankenstein”, written by Marry Shelley and narrated by David Dobrik
  • “Great Expectations”, written by Charles Dickens and narrated by James Langton Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte and narrated by Sarah Coombs
  • “Persuasion”, written by Jane Austen and narrated by Cynthia Erivo

 

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What are the popular works of Agatha Christie?

Born in September 15, 1890 in the town of Devon, Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie was a gifted child. She overcame dysgraphia, an inability to write text, to author 66 detective novels, 14 short stories, and the world’s longest-running play, ‘The Mousetrap”. Here are some of her popular works:

“The Mysterious Affair at Styles”

“The Mysterious Affair at Styles” was Christie’s first published novel. It introduced Hercule Poirot, Inspector Japp, and Arthur Hastings, who became some of the recurring characters in her novels. Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery of a murder in his new neighbourhood.

“Murder On the Orient Express”

Published on January 1, 1934, “Murder on the Orient Express” is an intriguing read. Heavy snowfall stops the Orient Express in its tracks. By morning one of its passengers is dead in his compartment with the door locked from the inside. In this classic whodunnit, all the passengers are suspects in the eyes of detective Poirot. The book was adapted to the silver screen in 1974 and 2017.

“Death on the Nile”

In this fast paced novel, action takes place in Egypt. While on vacation, Poirot investigates the murder of a young heiress. A Netflix adaptation of the classic is set to release this year.

“The Mousetrap”

Running continuously for over 60 years, “The Mousetrap” established Agatha Christie as a playwright in the public eye. His story was adapted from a radio play, “Three Blind Mice”, written for the Royal family in 1947.

 

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