Joy Davidman (1915–1960)
Author of Smoke on the Mountain: An Interpretation of the Ten Commandments
About the Author
Joy Davidman, poet, novelist, and religious writer, was educated at Hunter College and Columbia University
Works by Joy Davidman
Associated Works
These Found the Way: Thirteen Converts to Protestant Christianity (1951) — Contributor — 11 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Davidman, Joy
- Legal name
- Davidman, Helen Joy
- Other names
- Gresham, Joy
- Birthdate
- 1915-04-18
- Date of death
- 1960-07-13
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Columbia University (MA | 1935)
Hunter College (B.A. | 1934)
Evander Childs High School - Occupations
- poet
novelist
book reviewer
editor
screenwriter - Organizations
- Poetry Magazine
The New Masses - Relationships
- Lewis, C. S. (husband)
Gresham, Douglas H. (son)
Gresham, William Lindsay (first husband) - Short biography
- Joy Davidman was born in New York City to Jewish Polish-Ukrainian immigrant parents. She was considered a child prodigy, finishing high school at age 14 and earning a master's degree from Columbia University in English literature at age 20. After a brief career as a teacher, she became a reader and editor at Poetry Magazine. For her book of poems, Letters to a Comrade, she won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition in 1938 and the Russell Loines Award for Poetry in 1939. She converted to Christianity in the 1940s. Following a divorce from her first husband, the self-described "Anglomaniac" Davidman went to England in 1953 with her two sons. She had previously met C.S. Lewis, who wrote the preface for her book Smoke on the Mountain (1954); they married in 1956.
Their relationship was the subject of Shadowlands, a BBC TV movie, a stage play, and a film. - Cause of death
- metastatic carcinoma
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK - Place of death
- Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
Davidman's commentary on the Ten Commandments was very insightful and well-written, though it did show its age at times. With her apt attention to contemporary practical concerns, she often spoke to modern man through the conversations of the day, thereby leaving postmodern man a bit shortchanged. Still, I used quite a bit of her material in my sermon series, as it was very good and thought-provoking work.
Despite being over 50 years old, this speaks well to contemporary Christians, and anyone interested in the relevance of the Ten Commandments today. Davidman - who later married the better-known CS Lewis - has a readable, incisive style, with some excellent insights into culture of both the Ancient Hebrews and the western world in the 1950s... much of which still holds today. It's many years since I read this, and I was surprised how fresh and interesting it seemed. Excellent!
Highly insightful ideas about modern life viewed through an ancient lens. The reader will be interested and challenged by the fiery author.
NCLA Review - Joy Davidman is best known as the American woman who married C.S. Lewis. She was also a poet, novelist, book and movie reviewer, and wrote a book on the Ten Commandments which is still in print. Don King, a professor of English at Monreat College and editor of Christian Scholar's Review, has gathered the letters of Joy Davidman, plus the autobiographical essay, "The Longest Way Round," which chronicles her journey from secular Judaism, to atheism, to communism, and eventually show more to Christianity. The letters provide a fascinating insight into an intellectual and curious mind, as well as illustrating the struggle of her marriage to William Gresham, her relationship with C.S. Lewis, and her emotional state when dealing with the cancer that took her life at the age of 45. Mr. King's purpose for this book was to reveal a woman who was not only brilliant, but was a spiritually perceptive Christian, one who was misunderstood by many of Lewis' friends, who saw her as a predator. To the contrary, her letters reveal that she was adored and deeply loved by Lewis and his brother. Obviously, this book would be a valuable addition to the college or research library, but church libraries with a heavy emphasis on biographies or on works by C.S. Lewis would also find this a useful addition. Rating: 4 —BS show less
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 7
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 561
- Popularity
- #44,551
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 7
- ISBNs
- 9