The Screwtape Letters

C. S. Lewis

Jun 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

A Masterpiece of Satire on Hell’s Latest Novelties and Heaven’s Unanswerable Answer

C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the unique vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below.” At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the wordly-wise devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written. 

Ratings and reviews

I read this several years ago and I loved it. I really liked Lucifer's letters, but found most of the questions raised throughout the book to be thought-provoking. Actually, I also found a great deal of it to be quite funny, Lewis had me nearly rolling of the floor with laughter sometimes. I fully intend to acquire a copy of this for my permanent library. I recommend this book to everyone who has even the slightest interest in Christianity - whether you're a devote believer or a definite skeptic, you will find something interesting in this book.

C.S. Lewis masterfully invents a curriculum about the business of tempting, which he presents in the form of short letters from one devil to another. The language is thick (it IS Sinclair Lewis, after all) but the concepts are profound. If you read this with some self-reflection, you may very well find strength in hard times and a few truths which answer some deep questions.

CS Lewis brilliantly plays the role of a devil in this collection of letters to his devil apprentice. Each letter left me thinking about how clever he was to introduce spiritual weaknesses into these letters to his apprentice and how his apprentice can capitalize on them to win the soul for their team! This is not the easiest of reads and requires some discernment, but it is a quick read. I read a letter per day and found myself looking forward to each one.

About the author

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers 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 Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. 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 Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.