Here is the translated text: Bibliography: Trivia; The story; On screen; Going further

• Three entry points in English: Duriez, Maxence, Fernandez.
• For the biography, start with Lewis himself: Surprised by Joy.

This bibliography completes the list of Lewis's works (see our C.S. Lewis bibliography). It only presents books about Narnia and about Lewis. The French books come first. The ratings out of 10 are those given by the old website in 2005. Some titles are out of print and can be found second-hand or in libraries.

To start: three guides in French

Colin Duriez, Into the Heart of Narnia (Raphael, Mont-Pèlerin, 2005). Translated from English, it is the ideal travel companion: a biography of Lewis, a presentation of themes and symbols, an A to Z of characters, places and events, and references on the history and geography of Narnia. Colin Duriez, a British specialist in Lewis and Tolkien, writes simply and warmly. It is the source of several of Marc Varidel's texts on the old website.

Philippe Maxence, Deciphering the World of Narnia (Presses de la Renaissance, 2005; reprinted in 2021). A three-part essay: Lewis's life and journey, a reading of the Chronicles focused on Aslan and on Christian themes (creation, evil, sacrifice), followed by a dictionary of names and places. Accessible and clear, it offers a resolutely Christian approach. The reader seeking a more nuanced approach will supplement it with other books.

Irène Fernandez, Myth, the Narnian Flame. Imagination and Reality according to C. S. Lewis (Ad Solem, 2005, 518 pages). The most ambitious book in French. A former student of the École normale supérieure, Irène Fernandez follows Lewis's intellectual path from atheism to faith, including his reflection on myth, this "myth become fact". She shows how his tales, and first of all Narnia, foreshadow a joy that transcends this world. Demanding but illuminating. Irène Fernandez was one of the guests on Espace 2 in December 2005.

Going further

Suzanne Bray, Through the Magician's Wardrobe: C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Universe (Farel, 2005, 64 pages). A short introduction by a scholar specializing in Lewis, ideal for a first contact.

Suzanne Bray, C. S. Lewis or the Vocation of the Bestseller (Imago, 2007, 216 pages). A critical biography that questions the Lewis phenomenon: why did an Oxford professor, Christian apologist, become a bestselling author in a world that is increasingly less Christian? Suzanne Bray teaches British literature and civilization at the Catholic University of Lille. The book includes a bibliography of Lewis's works in French.

Leanne Payne, Real Presence. The Christian Vision of the World in the Thought and Imagination of C. S. Lewis (Raphael, 1998). A spiritual reading of Lewis's work, centered on imagination and the presence of God.

Daniel Warzecha, The Spiritual Imagination of C. S. Lewis. Religious Experience and Imagination in his Fiction (L'Harmattan, 2010). An academic study of how Lewis uses myth and fiction to serve religious experience.

Paola Artero, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis: Ideologies and Points of View in the French Translations (Thesis, University of Montpellier 3, 2018, available online). For those curious about comparing the French translations.

J.R.R. Tolkien, Faërie and Other Essays (Christian Bourgois, 2003; Pocket). Not a book about Lewis, but essential to understand what united him with Tolkien: it includes the essay On Fairy Stories and the poem Mythopoeia, written after their 1931 conversation.

Lewis himself

The best biography of Lewis's youth is his own. Surprised by Joy (Raphael, 1998) recounts his childhood, his readings, his years of doubt and his conversion. Learning to Die (reprinted by Cerf in 2023) is the journal of his grief after the death of Joy Davidman. Both books are presented in the text from the old website reproduced below.

On screen

Paul F. Ford, Companion to Narnia (HarperSanFrancisco, revised edition 2005). The reference dictionary for Narnia, from A to Z.

Walter Hooper, C. S. Lewis: A Companion & Guide (1996). A comprehensive overview of Lewis's life and work, by his former secretary.

Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper, C. S. Lewis: A Biography (revised edition 2002). The biography written by a close friend, who closely followed the birth of Narnia.

Michael Ward, Planet Narnia (Oxford University Press, 2008). The bold thesis that each Chronicle is placed under the sign of a medieval planet.

Alan Jacobs, The Narnian (2005). An intellectual biography, attentive to Lewis's imagination.

Colin Duriez, The C. S. Lewis Chronicles (BlueBridge, 2005). A biography in the form of a chronicle, very detailed on the Inklings.

Alister McGrath, C. S. Lewis – A Life (2013). The major biography published for the fiftieth anniversary of his death. We do not know of any French translation.

Douglas Gresham, Jack's Life (Broadman & Holman, 2005). The life of Lewis told simply by his stepson, accessible to young readers.

Richard Wagner, C. S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies (2005). Despite its title, an excellent guide to the links between Narnia and Christianity.

Humphrey Carpenter, The Inklings (1978). The group portrait of Lewis, Tolkien, Williams and their friends.

Peter Schakel, Reading with the Heart: The Way into Narnia (1979). A good critical introduction; Schakel defends reading in the order of publication.

In brief

Did you know

• For a short first contact: Suzanne Bray (Through the Magician's Wardrobe), then Irène Fernandez.
• For a critical biography: Philippe Maxence, then Irène Fernandez.

In the book

Irène Fernandez, Myth, the Narnian Flame. Imagination and Reality according to C. S. Lewis (Ad Solem, 2005, 518 pages).

Going further

Suzanne Bray, C. S. Lewis or the Vocation of the Bestseller (Imago, 2007, 216 pages).

Daniel Warzecha, The Spiritual Imagination of C. S. Lewis. Religious Experience and Imagination in his Fiction (L'Harmattan, 2010).

Paola Artero, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis: Ideologies and Points of View in the French Translations (Thesis, University of Montpellier 3, 2018, available online).

On screen

Walter Hooper, C. S. Lewis: A Companion & Guide (Raphael, 1998).

Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper, C. S. Lewis: A Biography (revised edition 2002).

Alister McGrath, C. S. Lewis – A Life (2013).

The story

Colin Duriez, Into the Heart of Narnia (Raphael, 2005).

Philippe Maxence, Deciphering the World of Narnia (2005; reprinted in 2021).

Irène Fernandez, Myth, the Narnian Flame. Imagination and Reality according to C. S. Lewis (2005, 518 pages).

In the books

Colin Duriez, Companion to Narnia (HarperSanFrancisco, revised edition 2005).

Paul F. Ford, Companion to Narnia (HarperSanFrancisco, revised edition 2005).

Walter Hooper, C. S. Lewis: A Companion & Guide (1996).

Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper, C. S. Lewis: A Biography (revised edition 2002).

Michael Ward, Planet Narnia (Oxford University Press, 2008).

Alan Jacobs, The Narnian (2005).

Colin Duriez, The C. S. Lewis Chronicles (BlueBridge, 2005).

Douglas Gresham, Jack's Life (Broadman & Holman, 2005).

Richard Wagner, C. S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies (2005).

Humphrey Carpenter, The Inklings (1978).

Peter Schakel, Reading with the Heart: The Way into Narnia (1979).

Trivia

• For a teenager or a family: Suzanne Bray (Through the Magician's Wardrobe), then Colin Duriez.
• For a reader curious about the Christian dimension: Philippe Maxence, then Irène Fernandez.
• For a student: Irène Fernandez, Suzanne Bray (2007), Daniel Warzecha, then Ward and Ford in English.
• To get to know the man: Surprised by Joy, then Green and Hooper or McGrath.

See also

• C.S. Lewis bibliography
• What to read by C.S. Lewis after Narnia
• Sub-creation: Lewis, Tolkien and the art of inventing worlds
• The French editions of Narnia
• Narnia on the radio: the Espace 2 week (December 2005)
• Credits and sources
• From Neuchâtel to our bookshops: eighty years of Lewis in French, and the books still missing
• Thirty-eight books in seven families: C.S. Lewis' works categorized by genre