Description
The Mythmakers is a graphic novel biography of two literary icons—C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien—following the story of their friendship and creative fellowship, and how each came to write their masterworks.
Through narrative and comic panels, Hendrix chronicles Lewis and Tolkien’s near-idyllic childhoods, then traces both men’s horrific experiences in the trenches of World War I, their first meeting at Oxford in 1929, and the foreshadowing, action, and aftermath of World War II. He reveals the shared story of their friendship, in all its ups and downs, which gave them the confidence to venture beyond academic concerns (fantasy was not considered suitable for adult readers but the domain of children), shaped major themes, and transformed their ideas about the potential of mythology and faith.
The Mythmakers also shows the camaraderie and the importance of the social and literary circle of friends called the Inklings, and how the friendship of these two great men fell apart and came together again. Hendrix concludes by describing how the writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien re-enchanted the 20th century after two World Wars. Aimed at scholars, adults, and young people, his account shows how these two tweedy academics altered the course of storytelling and helped establish fantasy writing for adults as an accepted form of literature.