13. How do you think the perception of Narnia has changed since C. S. Lewis first wrote The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?
Not a lot really, at least not among those very wise folk who read the books. Of course we have made movies of several of the books, and that has spread the knowledge of Narnia even farther than the worldwide publication of the books in many languages had already achieved. But Narnia is Narnia and appeals to young men and women, to children, and to white-bearded ancients alike, no matter where they live or what language they speak, and it always will.
14. November 22, 2013, marks the fiftieth anniversary of C. S. Lewis’s passing. What do you remember about this event?
Very little, actually. That whole time is a faded haze in my mind. I remember his funeral at which I stood as the leading mourner, and I remember the single candle that stood upon his coffin, first in the church and then under the tree at the graveside. There was a strange and perhaps holy stillness about the air that day, not a breath of wind stirred; and the candle flame stood straight and tall, never so much as even wavering, only to be extinguished as it was taken from the coffin (by whom I did not see) as it was lowered into the grave. We buried more than a man that day; we buried a light as well. Had Jack not written so much so well, the world would today be a much darker place for so many people. That was a hard, bitter time for me. There were many condolence letters, but I didn’t read them nor even open the envelopes. Loneliness is really the only thing I remember. Once again, all that I loved, all that I valued had been swept away, and I was alone.
15. Do you recall how fans reacted to the news of C. S. Lewis’s death?
Hardly at all; his death passed at first almost unnoticed, as President Kennedy was assassinated the same day.
16. C. S. Lewis is being honored with a memorial stone in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner on the anniversary of his death. How do you feel about this? How do you think Jack would have responded to this tribute?
I think he would have certainly found it gratifying and would smile.
17. Why do you think so many people connect to The Chronicles of Narnia? What do readers take from it? Why do they keep returning to Narnia?
Readers return to Narnia simply because mankind has been gifted with a sense of truth. It is stronger in some than in others, but we all have it to some degree or another. In Narnia, we sense the truth of what is written, no matter who we are or where we are from.
Narnia, and all it stands for and represents, rings true.
THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW
Dedication
To The Kilmer Family
Contents
Dedication
Chapter One: The Wrong Door
Chapter Two: Digory and His Uncle
Chapter Three: The Wood Between the Worlds
Chapter Four: The Bell and the Hammer
Chapter Five: The Deplorable Word
Chapter Six: The Beginning of Uncle Andrew’s Troubles
Chapter Seven: What Happened at the Front Door
Chapter Eight: The Fight at the Lamp-post
Chapter Nine: The Founding of Narnia
Chapter Ten: The First Joke and Other Matters
Chapter Eleven: Digory and His Uncle Are Both in Trouble
Chapter Twelve: Strawberry’s Adventure
Chapter Thirteen: An Unexpected Meeting
Chapter Fourteen: The Planting of the Tree
Chapter Fifteen: The End of This Story and the Beginning of All the Others
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