Philip Zaleski

I’ve always been a fan of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. When I was younger, I loved The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters. While I knew little about the other members of the famed mid-twentieth century Oxford-based group, the Inklings, I loved the idea of their gatherings.

I’ve read enough biographies to know that no one is perfect. Even the very good-hearted and sincere make a lot of mistakes, and they often aren’t treated well. In the case of the Inklings, they show more didn’t have the easy, fun-filled lives I imagined drinking beer and tramping through beautiful English landscapes while discussing their ideas for fantasy. Okay, they did do those things, but it turns out it wasn’t easy and was often anything but fun-filled for each of them.

That the members were numerous and in flux and that they excluded women (even those they respected and liked) was surprising. While I enjoyed getting to know each of them, it was like getting to know anyone. I quickly discovered things that disappointed me.

While I liked the young Tolkien, the young C.S. Lewis made me nervous. They seemed to cross psychological paths in late life, with Tolkien becoming more ornery and Lewis more relaxed. Owen Barfield and Charles Williams were complete surprises to me. I found both more interesting individuals than either Tolkien or Lewis.

That Christianity and writing were the glue that tied them all together also surprised me somewhat. I had been under the impression that they were a group of co-workers who liked one another. Living as I do, in the 21st century, it surprised me that religion was so frowned upon in academic circles that far back. And this is why I read: to learn.

Philip and Carol Zaleski certainly did their research. The book itself was long. At times, the detail about all the members’ thoughts and writing was a bit too dense for me. I’m not a language nor literature scholar, and some of the philosophy and theology were over my head. Still, I enjoyed learning more about what went into creating some of my favorite novels. As a result of reading this book, I plan to explore the works of Barfield and Williams. show less

This may well have been the most disappointing book I have read this year. As a keen reader of Tolkien’s academic works, as well as his chronicles of Middle Earth, I was looking forward to some fascinating insights into his philological studies, and his researches into the various tributaries of north Germanic medieval literature. Similarly, I was keen to learn more about C S Lewis, and in particular his medieval researches. After all, his critical analysis, The Allegory of Love, is itself show more now a classic of the genre.

Sadly, this book fell lamentably short of the detailed analysis promised in the hyperbolic encomia strewn about the cover. The Zaleskis seem to delight in using as many words as possible to say very little, and I found it all very weak and pointless. show less

I really wanted to like this. I mean, I’m a huuuuge Tolkien and Lewis fan and have read many of their works repeatedly; I’ve been to Oxford multiple times and visited Williams’ grave (albeit unintentionally haha!) on my first visit and Tolkien’s grave on my most recent; and can geek out with the best of them.

But this book…well, another review reminded me as a reader not to idolize authors, and reading this made me realize I may have done that with Tolkien and Lewis.

i love Tolkien and thought it might be interesting to read more about his life and maybe his writings. this book was not that. it felt shallow and unsatisfying. it tried to be all things to all of these fellows and ended up being not much to any of them.

perhaps to literary buffs and aspiring English majors/authors this would be heady stuff but, for me, a scholar of such worlds and works as Tolkien created, i found it lifeless and listless. it was so washed out on each one of their lives i show more saw no discernible focus. frankly, i was hoping for a history of the Inklings rather than a side-by-side biography of its members.

maybe i’m not in the right head space? maybe i just don’t understand what the book was attempting? maybe i’m just not sophisticated enough in my literary perception to get it? maybe i’ve shifted my own focus to other kinds of content and style? whatever the case, i put the book down and do not foresee picking it back up. show less