Record Number: 32339

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Last week I got a copy of that little book of yours on Icelandic Sagas, which I found very interesting, and as a result I have now bought a translation of the "Laxdaela Saga" in the Temple Classics edition.... they are tip top and justify the boast of 'elegance' made in their advertisements.... As to the Saga itself I am very pleased with it indeed: if the brief, simple, nervous style of the translation is a good copy of the original it must be very fine. The story, tho', like most sagas, it loses unity, by being spread over two or three generations, is thoroughly interesting.... after the "Roots" a real saga is interesting. I must admit that ... the primitive type is far better than Morris's reproduction.'I

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 24 May 1915 and 1 Jun 1915

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

Great Bookham
Surrey
'Gastons'

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Clive Staples Lewis

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

29 Nov 1898

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Student

Religion:

Church of England

Country of Origin:

Northern Ireland

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

[Anon] [Anon]

Title:

Laxdaela Saga

Genre:

Other religious, Fiction, History, Biography, Thirteenth Century Icelandic Family Saga

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

London: Gollancz, 1899 (The Temple Classics). Translated from the Icelandic by Muriel A. C. Press

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

32339

Source:

Print

Author:

C. S. Lewis

Editor:

Walter Hooper

Title:

C. S. Lewis Collected Letters

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

2000

Vol:

1

Page:

127/128

Additional Comments:

From a letter to Arthur Greeves, 1 June 1915. 'Roots' refers to 'The Roots of the Mountains' by William Morris.

Citation:

C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 127/128, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32339, accessed: 24 May 2025

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Additional Comments:

I don't know which 'little book... on Icelandic Sagas' Lewis is referring to, but its influence was profound. Twelve years later, writing to Arthur from Maglalen College Oxford, he tells him: 'I am realising a number of very old dreams in the way of books.... above all, learning Old Icelandic.' (Letters, v.1, p.701)