Kathryn Lindskoog

Kathryn Ann "Kay" Lindskoog (née Stillwell; December 26, 1934 – October 21, 2003) was a C. S. Lewis scholar known partly for her theory that some works attributed to Lewis are forgeries, including The Dark Tower.

Work on C. S. Lewis

The main target of Lindskoog's writing was Walter Hooper, Lewis' literary co-executor who edited most of Lewis' posthumous work. Lindskoog points out that Hooper's relationship with Lewis was overstated in some of the publications that he edited, and she argues that several works published under Lewis's name were in fact by Hooper.

C. S. Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham, denies the forgery claims, saying that "The whole controversy thing was engineered for very personal reasons ... Her fanciful theories have been pretty thoroughly discredited.". It is clear from the diaries of Warren Lewis that Lewis' brother distrusted Hooper, whom he viewed as a dishonest interloper in the 1960s. Lewis scholars are divided about the merits of Lindskoog's charges, but some of them have since been disproved by discovery of Lewis' own typescripts. Much of her perceived animosity towards Hooper may (or may not) have been derived from disappointment that she was not given any role in dealing with his literary legacy , though Lewis acknowledged her as knowledgeable about his bibliography. The controversy was analysed by Nicolas Barker in "Essays in Criticism" (see reference), where he calls Lindskoog's work "a poisoned book".

Selected works

Related to C. S. Lewis

Lion of Judah in Never-never Land: The theology of C. S. Lewis expressed in his fantasies for children (Eerdmans, 1973), preface by Walter Hooper – 1957 M.A. thesis, Cal State–Long Beach, as Kathryn Stillwell C.S. Lewis, Mere Christian (Regal, 1973; revised and expanded, Inter-Varsity Press, 1981; revised, Harold Shaw Publ., 1987; revised and expanded, Cornerstone Press, 1997) Lindskoog explained such "literary liposuction" in 1993. Among other things, she claimed to have answered a friendly telephone critic, "I'm as much of a purist as you. I absolutely love these authors. That's why I'm hand-polishing them for today's readers and performing what I call literary liposuction – removing flab and fat. I keep every bit of the original story, the style, and the values – even restoring parts cut out in other versions. I know my work would make the author happy; otherwise, I wouldn't do it."

Other

Up from Eden (David C. Cook, 1976) [an uncommonly candid look at the complex choices facing Christian women today]; reissued 1977 as On My Way Up From Eden: a Christian Woman takes a whimsical but practical look at what she wants to be How to Grow a Young Reader (Harold Shaw Publ., 1978), as by John and Kay Lindskoog; How to Grow a Young Reader: a parent's guide to books for kids (revised, Harold Shaw, 1989), John and Kathryn Lindskoog How to Grow a Young Reader: Books from All Ages for Readers of All Ages (Harold Shaw, 2002), Kathryn Lindskoog and Ranelda Hunsicker The Gift of Dreams (Harper & Row, 1979) Creative Writing: for people who can't not write (1989) Over the Counter: A pharmacist tells how to keep your family healthy – and what to do when it isn't (Focus on the Family, 1989), as ghostwriter Fakes, Frauds and Other Malarkey: 301 Amazing Stories and How Not To Be Fooled: Spoofs, bunkum, ballyhoo, and criminal poppycock (1993)