C.S. Lewis: Biography, Last Words, Quotes, and Legacy

Few authors have shaped the imagination of both children and adults quite like C.S. Lewis. From the magical world of Narnia to his sharp defenses of Christian faith, his words have sparked countless conversations.

Born: 29 November 1898 ·
Died: 22 November 1963 ·
Known for: The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity ·
Number of published books: Over 30 ·
Academic positions: Oxford (Magdalen College), Cambridge (Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature) ·
Religious affiliation: Anglican lay theologian (converted from atheism)

Nine key facts about C.S. Lewis, one pattern: his life spanned literature, scholarship, and theology across six decades.

What is C.S. Lewis most famous for?

The Chronicles of Narnia

• Lewis authored the seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia, beginning with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950 (Britannica (encyclopedia entry)).
• The series has sold over 100 million copies and been adapted into multiple films, television series, and stage productions (Britannica).

Mere Christianity and Christian apologetics

• Lewis published Mere Christianity in 1952 (The Gospel Coalition (apologetics analysis)).
• The book is one of the most widely read Christian apologetic works of the 20th century, based on his BBC radio talks during World War II (The Gospel Coalition).

Academic career at Oxford and Cambridge

• Lewis was elected a fellow in English language and literature at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1925, where he taught for nearly 30 years (BBC Culture (essay on Lewis)).
• In 1955 he left Oxford to become the first Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University (BBC Culture).

What were C.S. Lewis’s last words?

Accounts from his brother Warren Lewis

• C.S. Lewis died on 22 November 1963, the same day as the assassination of John F. Kennedy (C.S. Lewis Foundation (official biography)).
• His brother Warren reported that Lewis said “I have been waiting for this for weeks” shortly before death, but other accounts vary (The Guardian (retrospective article)).
• The exact last words are not definitively documented (C.S. Lewis Foundation).

The death of Lewis on 22 November 1963

• Lewis died at his home, The Kilns, in Headington, Oxford, one week before his 65th birthday (Biography.com (author profile)).
• The cause of death was kidney failure, following a long period of declining health (Biography.com).

What did C.S. Lewis say about Jesus?

The trilemma: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord

• In Mere Christianity, Lewis argued that Jesus must be either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord (Crossway (Christian publisher article)).
• He wrote: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.” (C.S. Lewis Foundation)

What did C.S. Lewis say about homosexuality?

Lewis’s views as expressed in Mere Christianity and letters

• Lewis held a traditional Christian view that homosexual acts are sinful, based on his interpretation of Scripture (Wikipedia (general biography)).
• He discussed the topic briefly in Mere Christianity and more extensively in personal correspondence, where he distinguished between temptation and action (The Gospel Coalition (apologetics analysis)).
• He advocated for compassion and understanding while maintaining the moral stance, writing that “unchastity is not the unforgivable sin” and urging readers not to treat homosexual inclination as a special category of sin (Wikipedia).

Context of his Anglican theology

• As an Anglican lay theologian, Lewis grounded his ethics in traditional Christian teaching: he believed all sexual relations should be confined to heterosexual marriage (Britannica (encyclopedia entry)).
• His letters show a pastoral tone: he advised one correspondent to “accept the fact that you are homosexual and then, as the Christians say, carry the cross.” (The Guardian (retrospective article))

What is written on C.S. Lewis’s grave?

Location: Holy Trinity Church, Headington, Oxford

• Lewis is buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church in Headington, Oxford (C.S. Lewis Foundation (official biography)).
• The grave is a plain stone slab shared with his brother Warren, who died in 1973 (BBC Culture (essay on Lewis)).

Inscription text

• The grave inscription reads: “Men must endure their going hence, even as their coming hither: ripeness is all.” — Shakespeare, King Lear (C.S. Lewis Foundation).
• Beneath the quote, the stone is carved with “Clive Staples Lewis, Born 29 Nov 1898, Died 22 Nov 1963” and “Warren Hamilton Lewis, Born 16 June 1895, Died 9 April 1973” (C.S. Lewis Foundation).

What was C.S. Lewis’s religious background?

Childhood in the Church of Ireland

• Lewis was born into a Protestant family and attended church in the Church of Ireland (Britannica (encyclopedia entry)).
• He was baptized in St Mark’s Church, Dundela, in Belfast (Christian History Institute (historical timeline)).

Adolescent atheism

• By his teenage years, Lewis had become an atheist, in part due to the death of his mother and the suffering he witnessed in World War I (C.S. Lewis Foundation).
• He later called his teenage self “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” (The Gospel Coalition)

Conversion to Christianity under influence of Tolkien and others

• In 1929 Lewis admitted that “God is God” and knelt to pray—a theistic conversion (C.S. Lewis Foundation).
• He came to faith in Christ in 1931, heavily influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien and other friends (Britannica).
• He became an Anglican lay theologian and wrote extensively on Christian faith, eventually becoming one of the most prominent apologists of the 20th century (BBC Culture).

Timeline of C.S. Lewis’s life

• 1898: Born in Belfast, Ireland (Britannica)
• 1914–1918: Served in World War I, wounded at the Somme (Britannica)
• 1925–1954: Fellow and tutor at Magdalen College, Oxford (Britannica)
• 1929: Converted to theism (C.S. Lewis Foundation)
• 1931: Converted to Christianity (Britannica)
• 1950: Published The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Britannica)
• 1954–1963: Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge (BBC Culture)
• 1956: Married Joy Davidman (Britannica)
• 1963: Died on 22 November 1963 (C.S. Lewis Foundation)

Clarity: Confirmed vs. Uncertain

Quotes from C.S. Lewis and his brother

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.

— C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis Foundation)

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

— C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (Britannica)

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.

— C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (The Gospel Coalition)

I have been waiting for this for weeks.

— Warren Lewis, reporting his brother’s last words (The Guardian)

Summary

C.S. Lewis left behind a body of work that continues to sell millions of copies each year, influencing everyone from fantasy readers to seminary students. The questions people still ask—about his last words, his view of Jesus, his grave—reveal a figure whose personal story is as compelling as his fiction. For readers exploring his worldview, the choice is clear: engage with his works directly, or risk misunderstanding the depth of his arguments.

For a broader overview of C.S. Lewiss life and works, including his key books and the circumstances of his death, that article provides a thorough complement to this biography of his final years.

Frequently asked questions

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