Clive Staples Lewis was born on November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. The son of a lawyer, Lewis grew up surrounded by books, which he read throughout his childhood during "seemingly endless rainy afternoons." His mother died when he was a child, and Lewis spent most of his time in the company of his older brother, Warnie — with whom he played, explored and created imaginary lands and characters.

Lewis attended school, but gained a greater love of learning through a private tutor who prepared him to study for Oxford. In 1917 he took a Classical Scholarship to University College. After serving briefly in World War I, Lewis returned to Oxford, where he spent the next 30 years as English Tutor at Magdalen College. He was later a Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English Literature at Cambridge for almost ten years.

As a scholar, Lewis wrote widely published essays and texts on a variety of subjects. His greater claim to fame, however, came with the publication of The Screwtape Letters, a wry and insightful correspondence between an old devil and a younger apprentice. A series of radio broadcasts presenting a "defence" of Christianity later became the basis for his classic apologetic Mere Christianity.

The seven Chronicles of Narnia were released annually between 1950 and 1956 and instantly established themselves as classics for both children and adults.

Lewis died in November 1963.