Does the name Clive Staples Lewis ring a bell? I asked three people earlier today, and they all said “no.”

However, when I asked about C.S. Lewis the response was a resounding “yes.” The author if the Narnia series, and theological treatises like Mere Christianity was always better known by his initials than his full name.

Lewis died sixty years ago today, his death overshadowed by the same day assassination of American President John F. Kennedy (and perhaps for many people also by the death that day of Aldous Huxley, the author best known for Brave New World). It’s an anniversary largely forgotten

If you haven’t read any of Lewis’ work you owe it to yourself to discover him, as he was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. If you are lazy, maybe watch a movie such as The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Or read the book of the same name. For theology, perhaps The Screwtape Letters is the easiest introduction.

I find Lewis’ non-fiction prose to at times feel a little dated, rooted in the era he was living in. But the message is timeless, and he seems to have had a great sense of humor – at least I like it.

Lewis, with J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams were the core of a writer’s group called The Inklings, who met weekly in Oxford to read their works in progress to each other. From what I have read, Tolkien  wasn’t particularly fond of the Narnia books. I haven’t read what he thought of Lewis’ science fiction trilogy, which features a central character obviously modeled on Tolkien himself.

Most writers, I would think, wish they could have been able to join the Inklings, even if only for one meeting, and hear the discussion as one of the Narnia series or ” the new Hobbit “ (which would eventually be titled The Lord of the Rings ) were being discussed. It must have been fascinating to hear the back and forth as those works were being shaped.

Lewis died just days before his 65th birthday. Who knows what masterpieces he might have written if he had lived longer. The same holds true for Williams, my favorite of the three, who died at age 58. Tolkien at least lived until 81, and left a lot of manuscripts unfinished form that have been polished and published since his death.

Sixty years seems like a long time, but it isn’t really. Americans who were alive then know where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the president being shot. I doubt there are many from any country who can remember what they were doing when they heard about the death of Lewis (or Huxley for that matter). Some things are more newsworthy than others.

With the passage of time, some things that seemed vitally important in the moment begin to pale. Even for Americans, JFK is mostly a name from the history books, known mostly for the manner of his death rather than for his policies while he was alive. Like all presidents hi performance was mixed: He committed the US to the Vietnam War, leading to thousands of deaths, but he also initiated the moon landing program, perhaps the greatest technological achievement of the time.

That C.S. Lewis’ books remain popular, six decades after his death is a testimony to their enduring relevance. If you have never read any of them, what are you waiting for?