APU professor and curator of special collections and rare books Dr. Roger White held a launch party in Darling Library Rotunda for his book, “C.S. Lewis & His Circle, Essays and Memoirs from the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society,” on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
“The six-and-a-half years that it took Dr. White to put together this book really shows his dedication,” said Dr. Paul Gray, dean of university libraries.
The book offers readers a glimpse into C.S. Lewis’ legacy and heritage. White considers it to have been an editorial project, as the book includes a series of audiotapes from Oxford C.S. Lewis Society meetings that have been transcribed.
“I felt a personal lack in my life and felt out of balance,” White said. “I needed to develop a poetic ear, and this book allowed me to do that. I was able to interact with the ideas and concepts of this book while writing it.”
White said that he believes millennials are open to Lewis’ views and can learn from Lewis’ theology and philosophy by reading the Christian author’s works.
“I think that people in our generation often lose the mysterious element and imaginative elements of life because we have technology that can answer all our questions at the touch of a button,” senior liberal studies major Lauralee Johnson said. “Because of that, C.S. Lewis’ teachings about imagination are very important.”
Johnson said White’s discussion at the launch party about the power that C.S. Lewis still has when teaching millennials about imagination has stuck with her.
“I was really excited to have the chance to hear about the work that APU professors are doing outside of teaching, as well as hearing about a book that is an important piece of literature in terms of understanding C.S. Lewis, his life and his friendships,” Johnson said.
Although Lewis is well-known for his Christian apologetics and fictional works like “Mere Christianity” and “The Chronicles of Narnia,” not many students are familiar with his background or academic pursuits.
Lewis started his education at Oxford University in 1917 and is remembered by the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society, which meets once a week to discuss Lewis’ teachings and way of thinking. The society celebrates his legacy and discusses upcoming events and his impact on the university and the world.
White and his wife, Dr. Theresa Clement Tisdale, a professor in the Department of Graduate Psychology, were assigned to head the Oxford Study Abroad Program in 2009, the same year that White began writing his book.
While living in Oxford, White joined the society, which celebrated his book during his visit last week.
Johnson says her favorite quote from the book so far is: “I decided, when asked to speak to the society, simply to talk about one of the books that I find most interesting and most challenging, though in some ways also most deeply flawed, of Lewis’s major works. That’s ‘That Hideous Strength.’”
White’s book is now available in the University Bookstore.
Another book related to C.S. Lewis, also written by an APU professor, is coming out this year.
At his book launch event, White said, “My book is more about the theology and works of the Inklings, and Dr. Glyer’s book is about the relationship between the Inklings.”
English professor Dr. Diana Glyer’s book is called “Bandersnatch,” and focuses on the relationship between the Inklings, a group of colleagues—including Lewis—who collaborated and inspired one another in their writings.
The Inklings met to discuss theology and philosophy, and Lewis’s brother Warren Lewis, or W.H. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” were members.
“Bandersnatch” will be available on Nov. 30, 2015.