“The Art of Writing and the Gifts of Writers” by C. S. Lewis
This is a neat book that shows C. S. Lewis is first and foremost a reader. In here, he analyses the writing styles and the main lessons that the most influential writers for him are trying to instill in their respective books, each with their own unique style. Writers such as Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Chesterton, Kafka, and many more including special chapters for E. R. Eddison, Tolkien, Haggard and Orwell.
Moreover, in a series of short essays Lewis also covers many things related with writing, such as his philosophies in life, his take on science fiction, the nature of literature, ethical issues, good characters in a story, Christian theology, on criticisms, on writing for children, his preference for Animal Farm over 1984, or gems like how he came up with the ideas for his books like the Chronicle of Narnia.
It is a short but impactful book that teaches us how to see literature from the correct angles, and most importantly how to properly read them and get carried away by them.
EDWIN SETIADI 