In a preface to a late edition of The Screwtape Letters (1942), C. S. Lewis wrote of the difficulty of projecting himself into the devil's world of "dust, grit, thirst, and itch." He claimed to have developed "a spiritual cramp." You'd never know it listening to this convincing and brilliantly rendered unabridged reading of the religious classic. Actor John Cleese (Monty Python, A Fish Called Wanda) makes the most of Lewis's rich vein of comedy and satire as he spins out an elderly devil's letters to Wormwood, a junior colleague who has just set out to secure the damnation of a young Christian man.
Cleese's marvelously paced performance brings this seasoned tempter to vivid life. He's at once witty, exasperated, irritable, and wise. This anniversary edition of The Screwtape Letters is a total delight! C. S. Lewis's observations on the world, the flesh, and the devil are remarkably contemporary.