In this new series of posts about MacDonald’s admirers, it is natural that C.S. Lewis should feature prominently. The author of Mere Christianity had much to say about his spiritual “master”, and about those books of the Scotsman’s which particularly influenced and inspired him. Should we wish to tread the same literary path Lewis trod, quotes such as the above (from George MacDonald: An Anthology) should help us all to do so.
This particular quote encompasses a whole collection, or sub-genre of novels, but in doing so it offers important guidance—directing us immediately to MacDonald’s Scottish works. This is crucial, because the dozen full length novels set in MacDonald’s homeland are almost universally considered his best; but, perhaps a little surprisingly, they are outnumbered by his English works. Lewis had one or two favorites among the latter, but the former (along with the fantasies) appeared to have been his chief delight.
As a first taste of these, we may point to the timeless Malcolm, the most recent book to be translated for The Works of MacDonald (in 2020.) The classic tale about the “fisher-king” is one of MacDonald’s best; and in the opinion of Lewis’s stepson Douglas Gresham, its central character may have inspired the name of the imaginary correspondent in Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. Thanks to the new “Scots/English” edition, this stunning work can now be read just as Lewis himself read it: complete and unabridged, and with wonderful new illustrations bringing it vibrantly to life. (Among other Lewis favorites are What’s Mine’s Mine, Robert Falconer, and Sir Gibbie, all of which will be covered in future posts.)
“ “[Malcolm] is an amazing masterpiece, and it has been held back or turned away by so many people simply because of MacDonald’s usage of what to many people seems to be an undecipherable and in some cases, uncanny language. In his explaining of the Scottish accents and jargons to our minds, David Jack is...making George MacDonald’s works open to us that we too may benefit from them.””