Owen Barfield’s Grandson, Charles Williams, and Anthroposophy

During the summer of 2022, something I never expected fell into my lap. I had contacted the Owen Barfield Literary Estate about getting permission to use a photograph for an article about Owen Barfield. For those who don't know, Owen Barfield was one of C..S. Lewis' oldest friends (they met when they were both students …

C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and other Christians Who Wrote Scary Books

This being the month of Halloween, it's a time to write about scary things. This year, I've talked about writers like Dorothy L. Sayers who were associated with the Inklings and sometimes wrote about dark things. At the very end of last year, I wrote about the dark, fascinating novel Nightmare Alley and its interesting …

Great Fantasy Writers (Who Aren’t CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien)

It probably goes without saying that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien changed fantasy with their works. While a lot has been written about their works, a lot less has been said about other Inklings like Charles Williams and Owen Barfield, or about the fantasy writers who were influenced by them. Writers like Walter Wangerin, Robert …

An introductory article on Charles Williams

Charles Williams was an interesting fellow. He wrote supernatural thrillers about murders in publishing houses that turn out to be connected to the holy grail. He wrote theology books that usually called God mystical names like "the Omnipotence." He was great friends with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and probably the only Inkling who was …

Dorothy Sayers, Cozy Mystery, and the Murder of God

Today, June 13, is the birthday of Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957). Sayers wrote many interesting books in her lifetime, but may be best remembered for her detective stories. "In all [these] stories you will experience the battle between Good and Evil. There are wicked people here." - Otto Penzler1 It's been said more than a …

Some thoughts on Charles Williams and Dennis Wheatley

I've talked quite a lot about C.S. Lewis on my blog over the years, and his circle of friends known as the Inklings. One of his more mysterious friends was Charles Williams, who was (among other things) a playwright, a Dante scholar who got Dorothy L. Sayers hooked on The Divine Comedy, and a writer …