From Warren Lewis to an American Correspondent

From Warren Lewis to an American Correspondent (Ralph Blair recently purchased Mr. Lofstrom’s set of Lewis letters from a dealer.)

[In Upper right corner]

SI, Ringwood Rd.,
Risinghurst,
Headington,
Oxford.

12th January 1967.

Dear Mr. Lofstrom,

Many thanks for your kind and encouraging letter of the 9th. It gives me real pleasure to know that you and Mrs. Lofstrom have got something out of the Letters and especially that my preliminary memoir has helped you to see something of the sort of man my brother was — though to me who knew him it seemed a feeble performance when I came to read it over.

I agree with you that the New English Bible does not stand up well to the traditional version as literature; but the question is whether it is or is not a more faithful rendering of the original. After all, the literary value of the Bible must, to a Christian, be a very secondary consideration. I don’t use it myself, but for the Epistles I now always use J.B. Phillips’ LETTERS TO NEW [sic-YOUNG] CHURCHES. Do you know the book [?] It certainly makes St. Paul more understandable.

Thanks for the offer of the letters in your possession, but as there is no prospect of my publishing a ‘Further Letters of C.S.L.’ please do not take the trouble to send them.

I cannot say why my brother never made contact with William Temple — simply I suppose the fact that they moved in different orbits; but perhaps by now they have met and are enjoying each other’s society.

With all best wishes for a happy 1967,

yours sincerely,