In the years leading up to the Second World War, authors J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis--who both fought in the trenches of WWI--saw the world descending once again into a human catastrophe. This book tells the story of how the crucible of war brought them together in friendship and inspired them to engage their Christian imagination to confront the darkest forces of their age.
In this powerful follow-up to the New York Times bestselling A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War, historian Joseph Loconte tells for the first time how the dark shadows cast by the Second World War utterly transformed the lives and literary imagination of Tolkien and Lewis.
The mood of cynicism and disillusionment after the First World War unleashed a storm of destructive ideologies: eugenics, scientism, modernism, communism, Nazism, and totalitarianism. The political and cultural crises created a new sense of urgency. The future of Western civilization stood on the edge of a knife. Tolkien and Lewis jumped into the fray.
Loconte explores how these authors and friends rededicated themselves to their scholarly and literary pursuits to offer a brave and hopeful vision of the human story. Their most beloved works--The Lord of the Rings, Leaf by Niggle, The Space Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity--were conceived in the furnace of the most devasting and dehumanizing war in history. In a world burdened by ugliness and despair, the works of Tolkien and Lewis opened the door to beauty, goodness, and faith. They continue to inspire the moral imagination. Readers who join Loconte on this epic journey will be inspired by Tolkien's and Lewis's Christian imagination, which even today has the power to transform human hearts in a world desperate for hope and truth; encouraged by their example of Christian resistance to evil as we, too, face a cultural crisis: fresh assaults on the political, moral, and religious ideals that shaped our civilization; and filled with renewed hope that even in a time of great divisions, conflicts, and hatreds, a Christian vision of truth and beauty can light the path out of the deepest darkness.
Combining a careful study of history and compelling storytelling, Loconte's book reveals how the remarkable achievements of Tolkien and Lewis--in the shadow of deep suffering and heroic sacrifice--offer enduring lessons for today's cultural moment. Loconte's book is essential reading for anyone who believes that great stories can reveal great truths. He reminds us that the imagination, anchored in a mature and heartfelt faith, can become the gateway to gratitude and to a life of purpose and joy.
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