Charles Williams and his Contemporaries
Editor: Suzanne Bray and Richard Sturch
Date Of Publication: Jun 2009
Isbn13: 978-1-4438-0565-0
Isbn: 1-4438-0565-3
Charles Williams (1886-1945), poet, novelist, critic, biographer, lay theologian, and 'Inkling'; exercised a great influence, both as a personality and through his writings, on English letters in his own day; and now, after a period of relative neglect, interest in him has grown once more. This international symposium, a product of this revival, is presented as a contribution to the serious study of Williams and his work. Its contents reflect not only the extraordinarily wide range of his writing, but also the many contacts he made both personally and through his work at the Oxford University Press.

Contributors look at his literary background and context, describe the part he played in introducing Kierkegaard to the English-speaking public, discuss his theology of love, and compare his work with that of friends, disciples and associates. Two papers concentrate specifically on one of his remarkable novels, The Place of the Lion. Between them, they give a glimpse, or a series of glimpses, of an unusual man and a fascinating writer whose influence and importance are being recognized more and more.

Suzanne Bray is Professor of English Studies at Lille Catholic University. She specializes in literature and theology in twentieth-century Britain and has published extensively on C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Dorothy L. Sayers. Her most recent publication is a collection of the (previously unpublished) talks delivered by Dorothy L. Sayers on the BBC during the Second World War, The Christ of the Creeds. She is a lay Reader in the Church of England.

Richard Sturch is a priest in the Church of England and a former senior lecturer in theology at the University of Nigeria, the Open University and the London School of Theology. He is also the secretary of the Charles Williams Society. He publishes regularly on the philosophy of religion and on Charles Williams and J.R.R. Tolkien. His latest book, From World to God?: Or, New Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, was published by Wipf and Stock in 2007.

"The originality of Charles Williams's mind and diverse talents are beginning to be recognized as they deserve. These essays are an important stage

towards the full appreciation of his achievement as a writer whose work impinges significantly on both literature and theology. A landmark in Williams studies, they should enlighten both newcomers to his work and those long acquainted with it."

- Dr Glen Cavaliero, of the Faculty of English at Cambridge University

"This sampling of current scholarship from both sides of the Atlantic reminds us of the range of Williams's intellectual interests and the keenness, and impact, of his insights. It also illuminates the work of contemporaries (Sayers, Barfield, Lewis, Tolkien) and of older writers like Kierkegaard, Milton, Dante, and pseudo-Dionysius."

- Professor Charles Huttar, of Hope College, Michigan

"The content is, in general, very good; the papers are substantial. The titular emphasis on Williams's contemporaries appears in six of the nine papers. Since Williams is one of the Mythopoetic Society's major interests, all of the material is of value."

Joe R. Christopher, Mythlore 111/112, pg172, Winter 2010

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Sample pdf (including Table of Contents)