| − | The second son of Albert James Lewis, a solicitor, and Flora Augusta Hamilton Lewis, whose father was a [[Church of Ireland]] minister, he was born in Belfast [[Ireland]] and [[infant baptism|baptized as an infant]] in the [[Anglican]] church at St Mark's Dundela, Belfast. Aged 4, after his pet dog "Jacksie" was killed by a car, Lewis declared that ''his'' name was now ''Jacksie''. This later became truncated to ''Jacks'' then ''Jack'', the name used by friends and family for the rest of his life. His older brother was [[Warren Hamilton Lewis]] (1895 - 1973) whom C. S. referred to as "Warnie" and described as "''my dearest and closest friend.''" The brothers formed a very close bond playing together at home, writing and illustrating stories for their fictional world called "Boxen", a world populated by dressed, talking animals, and obviously the precursor of the land of [[Narnia]], the magical land of children's adventures that retell the story of the [[Creation]], [[Fall of Man|Fall]], and [[Redemption]] of humankind. Lewis loved to read, and as his father's house was filled with books, he felt that finding a book he had not read was as easy as "finding a blade of grass." The "reality" he found on the pages of this extensive library seemed as tangible and meaningful to him as anything that transpired outside in the "real world", and he has said of these childhood years that "''at the age of seven, and eight, I was living almost entirely in my imagination; or at least that the imaginative experience of those years now seems to me more important than anything else.''"<ref>'''Lewis, C. S.''', ''Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life'', London: Harvest Books (1955) ISBN 0-1568-7011-8</ref> | + | The second son of Albert James Lewis, a solicitor, and Flora Augusta Hamilton Lewis, whose father was a [[Church of Ireland]] minister, he was born in Belfast [[Ireland]] and [[infant baptism|baptized as an infant]] in the [[Anglican]] church at St Mark's Dundela, Belfast. Aged 4, after his pet dog "Jacksie" was killed by a car, Lewis declared that ''his'' name was now ''Jacksie''. This later became truncated to ''Jacks'' then ''Jack'', the name used by friends and family for the rest of his life. His older brother was Warren Hamilton Lewis (1895 - 1973) whom C. S. referred to as "Warnie" and described as "''my dearest and closest friend.''" The brothers formed a very close bond playing together at home, writing and illustrating stories for their fictional world called "Boxen", a world populated by dressed, talking animals, and obviously the precursor of the land of [[Narnia]], the magical land of children's adventures that retell the story of the [[Creation]], [[Fall of Man|Fall]], and [[Redemption]] of humankind. Lewis loved to read, and as his father's house was filled with books, he felt that finding a book he had not read was as easy as "finding a blade of grass." The "reality" he found on the pages of this extensive library seemed as tangible and meaningful to him as anything that transpired outside in the "real world", and he has said of these childhood years that "''at the age of seven, and eight, I was living almost entirely in my imagination; or at least that the imaginative experience of those years now seems to me more important than anything else.''"<ref>'''Lewis, C. S.''', ''Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life'', London: Harvest Books (1955) ISBN 0-1568-7011-8</ref> |
| | C. S. was [[homeschooling|homeschooled]] until he was 10 years old. On August 23, 1908 - her husband's birthday - Flora Lewis died of cancer. In the same year, Albert Lewis' father and brother also died, and as their father grieved, C.S. and Warren Lewis were left with only each other for comfort and support. | | C. S. was [[homeschooling|homeschooled]] until he was 10 years old. On August 23, 1908 - her husband's birthday - Flora Lewis died of cancer. In the same year, Albert Lewis' father and brother also died, and as their father grieved, C.S. and Warren Lewis were left with only each other for comfort and support. |