Fantasy literature of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as a space of encounter in the milieu of the Twenty-First Century

C. S. Lewis born Anglican in Belfast, the UK, a self- described atheist for two decades, he re-embraced the faith of his childhood as an adult. An accomplished English literature academic, theologian and creator of Narnia was described as the best-read man in England.

J. R. R. Tolkien born Anglican in Bloemfontein, South Africa, at the age of three moved with his mother and brother to the UK, upon the conversion of his mother to Catholicism he also embraced the Catholic Faith. A respected philologist, a major scholar specializing in Old and Middle English and expert of Anglo-Saxon studies, a loved creator of the Middle Earth. In 1997 he came top of the three British polls for the greatest book of the 20th century.

Lewis and Tolkien, as dons at Oxford, formed a friendship which flourished despite their differences. Through their fantasy books grounded in Christianity they have drawn readers of various religious, philosophical and cultural positions into the secondary worlds they created.

The presentation will explore the phenomenon of the secondary worlds as an opportunity for an encounter in academia.

Presenter Rev. Dr Daniel Szewc OMI

Rev Dr Daniel Szewc OMI is a Catholic Priest in the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Originally from Poland, he was appointed by his Congregation to Australia arriving in Melbourne in 2004. He has ministered in several parishes in Vic, SA and NSW as well as in formation of the seminarians of his Congregation. Currently he is the Rector of the Oblate Seminary in Camberwell, Vic. In 2020 he was awarded Doctor of Theology from the University of Divinity specialising in Christian Spirituality. He lectures in Spirituality and
Homiletics at CTC.