 First edition dust wrapper | |
| Author | C. S. Lewis |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Epistolary novel, Christian apologetics, satire |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
Publication date | 1942 1961 (first omnibus) |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 160 (1st)[1] 157 (1st omnibus) |
| LC Class | BR125 |
| Followed by | "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" |
| Text | The Screwtape Letters online |
The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetic novel by C. S. Lewis and dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien. It is written in a satirical, epistolary style and, while it is fictional in format, the plot and characters are used to address Christian theological issues, primarily those to do with temptation and resistance to it.
First published in February 1942,[2] the story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, a junior tempter. The uncle's mentorship pertains to the nephew's responsibility in securing the damnation of a British man known only as "the Patient".
Until 1999, the novel had 26 English and 15 German editions, with around half a million sold copies.[3]
- ^ The Screwtape Letters title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- ^ Lancelyn Green & Hooper 2002, p. 237.
- ^ Šešo, Ivan: "Uvod" [Introduction], in: Staples Lewis, Clive (1999). Pisma starijeg đavla mlađem [The Screwtape Letters] (in Croatian). Translated by Ivan Šešo. Split: Verbum. ISBN 953-6197-12-X., p. 5