The Inklings

C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends

By: Humphrey Carpenter

Narrated by: Bernard Mayes

During the 1930s at Oxford, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams - remarkable friends, writers, and scholars - met regularly to discuss philosophy and literature and to read aloud from their own works in progress. Calling themselves the Inklings, their circle grew. It was in this company that such classics as The Lord of the Rings, The Screwtape Letters, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first found an audience.

Author Humphrey Carpenter was born in Oxford and was acquainted with Tolkien, Hugo Dyson, and several other Inklings. In this remarkable reconstruction of their meetings and momentous friendships, Carpenter brings to life those warm and enchanting evenings in Lewis' rooms at Magdalen College, when their imaginations ran wild. His account offers exciting insights into the influence these brilliant individuals had on each other's developing ideas and writing.

©1990 Humphrey Carpenter (P)1990 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Best bio of Lewis and friends. A wonderful story. Showing God’s goodness.

Thank you for this wonderful work. So well researched and written. Warm. Engaging. Enlightening. And inspiring.

Perspective of biographer unsympathetic

I did not enjoy the way the author had a slant against CS Lewis as being brash, a poser, impressionable, unoriginal, closed-minded, etc. Let’s see if that author can write anything that holds a candle to Lewis’ brilliance and impact. Come on! It felt like he was trying to cut him down with 80% of his comments. He seemed to “like” Tolkien and Williams much more, and it was obvious and I hate that. Other than that, I enjoyed hearing about this set and their lives.

Just wonderful!

So much I had never known before about this group of men, their friendships, and their writing. I appreciate the books I have read by these writers so much more deeply having listened to The Inklings. If you are a fan of Lewis and Tolkien, this is a wonderful listen!

Mostly about CS Lewis, the common link

This biographical sketch begins and ends with Lewis and gives revealing insight to the man and the men that surrounded him.

A great find for any Inkling fan

Good narrator (he sounded very much like Michael Caine to me), and I was willing to overlook his mispronunciation of some of Toklien's words. It was a thorough and well rounded accounting of the Inklings, albeit with a heavy focus on C.S. Lewis.