Joy Davidman
American poet and writerWikipedia
35
MENTIONS
8
EPISODES
7
PODCASTS
Search complete. 35 mentions across 8 episodes found for "Joy Davidman".
Oct 6, 2026
JodyHOST
And the other one that kinda changed how I look at him, um, I should've seen it before, but man, his writings even during his life had such an impact even at a distance.
JodyHOST
And as an example, or two examples, would be his wife, Joy Davidman, who learned about him through his re- h- through his writing.
JodyHOST
Isn't that how she, like, became aware of him?
StevenHOST
Oh, absolutely.
StevenHOST
There were letters in C.S. Lewis's own hand.
StevenHOST
But some of my favorite stuff were the more personal books.
StevenHOST
Joy Davidman's copy of The Great Divorce was on display, C.S. Lewis's fantastic work.
StevenHOST
It was there.
Andrew LazoGUEST
And they also have a really deep archive.
Andrew LazoGUEST
And Early Prose Joy is a photocopy, was a photocopy from one of Lewis's notebooks.
Andrew LazoGUEST
And it's an account of Lewis's conversion from atheism to theism.
Andrew LazoGUEST
It's a complete account, and it seems even from the very first paragraph that Lewis thought his conversion was done.
Ruth JacksonHOST
Yeah, so how did you get involved? Because I guess it's one thing hearing a discussion and thinking, oh, that's interesting.
Ruth JacksonHOST
But what was your involvement then?
Andrew LazoGUEST
My involvement with Early Prose Joy comes because I have bad manners and I was raised poorly.
Andrew LazoGUEST
Whenever I visit the Wade Center, I sit close enough to the front desk
Steve HaywardHOST
We'll be right back, everybody.
Steve HaywardHOST
This week's book is Smoke on the Mountain by Joy Davidman, first published back in 1955.
Steve HaywardHOST
Now, if you don't recognize the name Joy Davidman, perhaps you will recognize her better by her married name.
Steve HaywardHOST
Late in life, she became Mrs. C.S. Lewis.
Steve HaywardHOST
The story is that Lewis and Davidman had been corresponding for a long time about their interest in Christianity, and when Davidman was stricken with terminal cancer in England, Lewis decided to marry her.
LucretiaHOST
i'm not even gonna go to my priest because of that
Steve HaywardHOST
all right uh this is enough for our main program for today let's take one more quick break and we will come back and close out the show i don't have a cameo but i i think i may have one of my short tiktok style book reviews ready to go but if not we'll just close out the show with our usual stuff we'll be right back everybody This week's book is Smoke on the Mountain by Joy Davidman, first published back in 1955.
Steve HaywardHOST
Now, if you don't recognize the name Joy Davidman, perhaps you will recognize her better by her married name.
Steve HaywardHOST
Late in life, she became Mrs. C.S. Lewis.
Steve HaywardHOST
The story is that Lewis and Davidman had been corresponding for a long time about their interest in Christianity, and when Davidman was stricken with terminal cancer in England, Lewis decided to marry her.
Bethel McGrewGUEST
at dinner with some friends.
Bethel McGrewGUEST
And my dad was saying actually some kind of similar things to what Lewis has said about Joy Davidman, how he loves my mom's masculine style of writing and thinking that, you know, she's just, she's very clear, very direct, very blunt.
Bethel McGrewGUEST
And if you, you know, load her stuff into software that's supposed to detect if it's a man or a woman writing it, he'll think that she's a man, but he likes that.
Bethel McGrewGUEST
And that's all that Lewis is saying.
Andrew LazoGUEST
It's a fine collection, I think.
Andrew LazoGUEST
And I was invited to, because of the work I've been doing on Joy Davidman, Until We Have Faces, I did that chapter.
Andrew LazoGUEST
And we were invited to be on the radio together in 2015 in December.
Andrew LazoGUEST
And it was such a small station that I could only, we had to listen on the phone line to the other one.
VanessaHOST
All right, let's talk about joy and about Jack's love life.
VanessaHOST
In 1950, when Lewis was 52 years old and seemingly settled into confirmed bachelorhood at the Kilns with his brother Warnie, he received a letter from an American woman named Helen Joy Davidman.
VanessaHOST
Joy was about as different from Lewis as possible.
VanessaHOST
She was American.
10 MINS LATER
VanessaHOST
The Most Reluctant Comfort by David C.
VanessaHOST
Downing, a detailed look at Lewis's conversion, examining the books, people, and ideas that led him to faith.
VanessaHOST
For Understanding His Marriage, Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry, a novel told from Joy Davidman's perspective.
VanessaHOST
While fictional, it's based on extensive research and brings joy to life as more than just Lewis's wife.
Michael WardGUEST
He eventually did get married, not until quite late, not until his late 50s.
Michael WardGUEST
He married an American woman called Joy Davidman, who was a writer, and his marriage to her is, is a most extraordinary episode in his life.
Michael WardGUEST
Joy Davidman had read some of Lewis's books, and indeed she attributed her own Christian conversion to reading C.S. Lewis.
Michael WardGUEST
And she, she wrote to him.
Michael WardGUEST
They became pen pals.