| Author | Humphrey Carpenter |
|---|---|
| Publisher | George Allen and Unwin |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Pages | 287 |
| ISBN | 0048090115 |
The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends is a biography book by Humphrey Carpenter, originally published in 1978. This book is an account of the Inklings, a literary discussion group associated with the University of Oxford, of which J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams were some of its prominent members.
It includes a large number of previously unpublished extracts from letters and other writings by Tolkien, including a poem to Charles Williams. Also includes a reproduction of a note to Dr. Warfield M. Firor from the Inklings, to which Tolkien added his name and a potted four line biography.
Wojciech Chudziński reviewed the Polish translation of the book for Świat Gier Komputerowych. He noted how the book emphasizes the importance of the Inklings’ regular meetings, during which members read and discussed drafts of their works, offering critique and encouragement in an atmosphere of friendship and shared imagination. According to the review, these gatherings played a significant role in shaping major works such as Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium and Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia , which are seen as emerging from a common intellectual and philosophical climate. The reviewer highlights Carpenter's credentials as a biographer of Tolkien and praises the book for granting readers insight into the creative processes, personal relationships, and mutual influences within the group. Overall, the review recommends the book as a valuable introduction to the Inklings and as a means of understanding how collaboration and literary friendship contributed to some of the most influential fantasy literature of the twentieth century. [1]
The book was also reviewed for the National Forum [2] and Christianity & Literature. [3]
Carpenter won a Mythopoeic Award for his book in 1982. [4]