Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and educated at Oxford University, where he later taught literature after service in World War I. In 1954, he was appointed to the chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, where he remained until his retirement. He died at the age of 64 on November 22, 1963.

Originally an atheist, Lewis converted to Christianity in 1929 and joined the Anglican Church. In the following decades, he became well known as a writer of Christian fiction and nonfiction. Lewis’s faith-based works began with the allegorical Pilgrim’s Regress in 1933 and continued with Mere Christianity (a collection based on his World War II-era radio show), The Screwtape Letters, Miracles, and others. He was also a member of the literary group the Inklings, which included J. R. R. Tolkien, who became a close friend. Lewis was much beloved for his series of children’s fantasy books, the Chronicles of Narnia, based on Christian allegorical themes, as well as adult works of fantasy such as the “Space Trilogy” and The Great Divorce. 

In addition to works defending Christianity by means of philosophy and logic, Lewis applied his studies in premodern literature and myth to explore themes of moral values and spiritual belief. Reflections on the Psalms aligns with Lewis’s interest in drawing moral and spiritual insights from ancient texts for a popular modern audience. While pointing to similarities between biblical texts and other ancient literature in which he specialized, Lewis argues for the relevance of the Bible in both literary style and worldview.