This unsentimental, even bracing, account of one man’s dialogue with despair becomes both compelling and consoling …

Book blurb

It offers an interrogation of experience and a glimmer of hardwon hope.

It allows one bewildered mind to reach out to another.

Narnia author C.S. Lewis had been married to his wife for four blissful years.

When she died of cancer, he found himself alone, inconsolable in his grief.

In this intimate journal, he chronicles the aftermath of the bereavement and mourning with blazing honesty.

He grapples with a crisis of religious faith, navigating hope, rage, despair, and love – but eventually regains his bearings, finding his way back to life. A luminous modern classic, A Grief Observed has offered solace to countless readers for decades.

The perennial classic: this intimate journal chronicling the Narnia author’s experience of grief after his wife’s death has consoled readers for half a century;

This companion edition combines the original text with personal responses from Hilary Mantel, Rowan Williams, Francis Spufford, Maureen Freely, Kate Saunders, Jessica Martin and Jenna Bailey.

My thoughts

In this book C S Lewis writes on his grief after the death of his wife Joy Davidman, an American poet, novelist, former communist and a convert to Christianity. Lewis an academic and a Christian had been a bachelor for many years not expecting to marry let alone fall in love.

Joy corresponded with Lewis after reading some of his work and they forged a friendship. They met when she came to England in 1952. On returning to the USA her troubled marriage ended and Joy relocated to England were their friendship strengthened so, in 1956, when Joy’s visa was not renewed she and Lewis married in a civil ceremony that ensured Joy and her two sons could remain in England.

Not long after Joy was diagnosed with cancer and Lewis admitted to himself that he, Joy already knew she loved Lewis, was in love with Joy. So, on March 21, 1957, fulfilling Joy’s wish to be united in the eyes of the church, at her hospital bed, they were married. Lewis became stepfather to Joy’s two sons, David and Douglas Gresham.

They had four years together. At the age of 45 and just three years after her diagnosis Joy Davidman died. Lewis was heartbroken, devastated and took up his pen to write in a series of notebooks about the grief that he was suffering, his thoughts on a God who allows such pain and his working through the process.

It is not that Lewis ceases to believe in God. It is that he is horrified at what he suspects about God’s nature.

Hilary Mantel

These writings became a book: A Grief Observed. It’s not an easy read as Lewis is pouring out his personal thoughts with great honesty whilst he is in such deep turmoil and pain but one that can certainly touch those who have known bereavement themselves. Even those who have not yet experienced the death of a loved one can understand the pain, anger and confusion that Lewis expresses.

Nevertheless, it is wonderful and with some relief that we read on to find Lewis is coming through his darkest times. If Lewis had been unable to how would those with less faith, less intellect or less understanding be able to?

He concludes these notes with a quote from Dante “Poi si torno all’ eternal fontana,” Beatrice turns to the eternal fountain and keeps walking. Joy’s last words to the chaplain were that she was at peace with God. Lewis is not dismissing his grief but with this phrase is indicating that he too is at peace with God.

A Grief Observed was first published under a pseudonym, N. W. Clerk, in 1961 to ensure the anonymity of the actual author C S Lewis. It was published by Faber who, in January 1964, following the death of C. S. Lewis, decided to reissue A Grief Observed. For the first time, with the permission of his estate, the work carried the author’s real name.

This particular edition goes on to provide seven short essays on A Grief Observed from Hilary Mantel to Rowan Williams each has their own personal understanding, experience and thoughts to share.

Though these dreams break my heart, more painful are the moments between sleep and waking when I am overcome by the realisation that she is dead. In these sleepy moments I am not remembering her death, I am relearning it. For nights on end, I relive the horror of it. I feel the agony of this loss as acutely as I did on the day of her death and I awake feeling lost, angry and devastated.

Jenna Bailey

Death of loved ones brings a huge hole into our lives and so it is unsurprising that we grieve, that we feel ‘lost, angry and devastated’ on repeat as Jenna Bailey writes. So, what a great support to read that others feel that too. This collection of essays brings that support along with a resounding message that A Grief Observed is a book that can help each of us in our grief.

1961 Club

Karen co-hosting with Simon the #1961Club, a to read, enjoy and share our thoughts on books from 1961!

This takes place from 13-19 April, and we would love it if you would join in with us! You can share on your blog, on social media of your choice, any other platform you use or simply leave us a comment. I will have a dedicated page on my blog for the club and I’ll look forward to hearing about your reading. 1961 is a really interesting year, with a range of very different options, so lots of scope – and you still have time to get reading for it!

Karen, Kaggsysbookishramblings

Information

Published: Faber & Faber | 30 December 2014 | 128pp in total 96pp | ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571310883

Buy: Amazon | Hive | Faber | Bookshop.org (affiliate link) |Your local library | Your local bookshop

Originally published in 1961.

Author

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions in literary criticism, children’s literature, fantasy literature and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity.

Books

Give the gift of Narnia in these box sets and deluxe editions perfect for readers of all ages. (HarperCollins)

Discover C.S. Lewis’s signature writings on spirituality and faith—perfect for believers and skeptics alike. (HarperCollins)

C S Lewis Blog

‘This blog offers original work on and about C. S. Lewis from scholars who have written far and wide about his stories, his theology, and his world. HarperOne also posts updates about new products and promotions. We add new entries regularly and we encourage your comments and feedback so we can develop a helpful, thoughtful and entertaining resource for you.’

Contributors

Hilary Mantel, Rowan Williams, Francis Spufford, Maureen Freely, Kate Saunders, Jessica Martin and Jenna Bailey.

Jenna Bailey was born in Alberta, Canada, and now lives in Brighton. She studied History at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and took her Masters in Life History at the University of Sussex. was her first publication.

Women Also Know History: Jenna Bailey | University of Lethbridge: Jenna Bailey

Jessica Martin: The Revd Dr Jessica Martin is a Canon Residentiary of Ely Cathedral and is a member of the influential Littlemore group of theologians. The daughter of the sociologists David and Bernice Martin, Jessica Martin, has combined a distinguished career as an academic working across the fields of English literature and theology with ordination in the Church of England. Her book Holiness and Desire was published in June 2020, and in 2021 she delivered the prestigious Bampton Lectures on the subject of Four Dimensional Eucharist. Jessica is married to the novelist Francis Spufford and, like him, has written about her own childhood – in Holiness and Desire.

Interview

Kate Saunders began her career as a professional actor but moved into journalism following the publication of her first novel, The Prodigal Father, in 1986, for which she won the Betty Trask Award. Since then, Kate has written many books for adults and children. Saunders won the annual Costa Children’s Book Award for Five Children on the Western Front, a highly acclaimed contribution to the classic fantasy series by E. Nesbit. Kate was twice shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal with Five Children on the Western Front and The Land of Neverendings. Kate’s other novels include Storm in the Citadel, Catholic and Sex (co-authored with Peter Stanford), Wild Young Bohemians, Beswitched, The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, Magicalamity and many more.

Kate wrote and reviewed for newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, Sunday Express, Daily Telegraph and Cosmopolitan. She was also a regular contributor to radio and television, including appearances on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and Start the Week. She was a guest on the first episode of the long-running news quiz programme, Have I Got News For You, and her acting work includes an appearance in Only Fools and Horses. The BBC children’s series Belfry Witches was based on Kate’s children’s books about two mischief-making witches. Kate lived in London with her family.

Obituary: The Guardian

Maureen Freely is an author, translator and teacher. She was born in the United States and grew up in Istanbul. She was educated at Harvard University.  She has written seven novels – including Sailing Through Byzantium and Enlightenment. Also well known as a translator of the Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, she has brought into English several classics and works by Turkey’s rising literary stars. For many years she worked as a journalist in London, writing about literature, social justice, and human rights. As chair of the Translator’s Association and more recently as President and Chair of English PEN, she has campaigned for writers and freedom of expression internationally. She teaches at the University of Warwick.

Asymptote: Rose Bialer – An Interview with Maureen Freely

Francis Spufford was born in 1964, the child of two historians. Married to the Dean of an Anglican cathedral in eastern England (Jessica Martin), they have two daughters, and alongside his own writing, both fiction and nonfiction, Spufford teaches creative writing at Goldsmiths College, London.

Francis Spufford is the author of five highly-praised works of non-fiction, most frequently described by reviewers as either ‘bizarre’ or ‘brilliant’, and usually as both. His debut novel Golden Hill won the Costa First Novel Award, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, the Desmond Elliott Prize, and was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and the British Book Awards Debut Novel of the Year. His second novel, Light Perpetual, was awarded the 2022 Encore Award and longlisted for the Booker Prize. His third novel, Cahokia Jazz, was published in 2023. In 2007 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He teaches writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and lives near Cambridge.

Goldsmiths, University of London: Professor Francis Spufford

Rowan Williams born in Swansea in 1950 he attended Christ College, Cambridge reading theology. He is currently Master of Magdalene College Cambridge, having retired from his role of Archbishop of Canterbury. Prior to this he was Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop is his native Wales. Archbishop Rowan is one of the best known theologians of his generation, as well as an acclaimed author, poet and speaker.

The Rt. Revd. and Rt. Hon. Dr Rowan Williams is co-chair of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales. Dr Rowan Williams was the Bishop of Monmouth (1992-2002) and Archbishop of Wales (1999-2002), before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury between 2003 and 2012. Since 2014 he has been Chancellor of the University of South Wales and Chair of the international development charity Christian Aid. He has published widely on religion and social affairs.

University of Manchester Q & A | Amazon Biography

Dame Hilary Mantel is one of the most distinguished writers of her generation.  She grew up in Derbyshire and was educated at a Cheshire convent school, LSE – where she spent her first undergraduate year – and Sheffield University, from which she graduated in law in 1973.  She was subsequently a teacher and a social worker, living for nine years in Africa and the Middle East. She became a full-time writer in the mid1980s, and is the author of eleven novels, two short story collections and a memoir, Giving up the Ghost. She was appointed CBE in 2006, and DBE in 2014. Among many prizes and honours, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by LSE in 2014.  

The Examined Life: ‘The Physicality of Loss: Hilary Mantel on Lewis and Grief’ | Dame Hilary Mantel: Obituary, The Guardian

Further information/reading

The Examined Life: Joy Davidman’s Valentine’s Day Love Sonnets to C S Lewis

FPA: The Complicated Love Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman

Faber: How A Grief Observed Came to be Published

C. S. Lewis Blog: Observing Grief 1, 2, 3 & 4

C. S. Lewis Foundation: The Living Legacy of C. S. Lewis