"Lewis is a particular joy; I love the man," said Coren. "Lewis was a wonderful man who wrote like an angel and there is very little in his life that I can object to."
Coren will appear next Wednesday at Mississauga Central Library to present the discussion, The Chronicler of Narnia: The Life and Legacy of CS Lewis. Lewis penned the Chronicles of Narnia series of fantasy children's books.
The free event starts at 7:30 p.m. and is expected to run about 60 minutes.
Coren, who hosts The Michael Coren Show on CTS television and co-hosts Two Bald Guys With Strong Opinions weekdays with former Liberal Party president Stephen LeDrew on CFRB 1010 radio, will focus on the author's whole life and will delve into his writings, his Christian faith, his family and other tidbits.
While doing research for his book, CS Lewis: The Man Who Created Narnia, Coren uncovered a few neat tales about the man.
"One of his sons was exploring Judaism (Lewis' wife, Joy Davidman, was a Jewish convert) and Lewis put a (religious Hebrew) scroll above his door," Coren told The News. "When I visited his home, you could see the mark it had left."
Coren, who has seen the recent movie adaptations of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, said the author's strength was his ability to take a message of faith and spin it into an engrossing yarn that appeals to both young and old.
"My introduction to Lewis was being read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and I remember being smitten by it," said Coren. "It wasn't the (Christian) message, which I wasn't aware of in the story. It was his ability to make the story raw. I was captured by the whole idea of Narnia. I can't say it for sure, but I believe it may have planted the seed of faith in me."
Coren also believes Lewis' writings have had a stronger impact than many contemporary Christian authors.
"Christian writing today tends to be very poor," said Coren, who has penned biographies on J.R.R. Tolkien, H.G. Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle. "Nothing of the grandeur of Lewis. He might even be more popular today than he ever was."
Never one to shy away from controversy, Coren has no time for critics of the author who sometimes allege his references to a fantastical world of magic and monsters are in conflict with Christianity.
"People who find the writings of C.S. Lewis offensive are either mentally ill or they don't understand Christianity," he said. "God didn't create us to be stupid. He created us to use our intelligence and to spread the word."
For more information, visit www.michaelcoren.com.
cclay@mississauga.net
