Joy Davidman (born Helen Joy Davidman; 18 April 1915 – 13 July 1960) was an American poet and writer. Often referred to as a child prodigy, she earned a master’s degree from Columbia University in English literature in 1935. For her book of poems, Letter to a Comrade, she won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition in 1938 and the Russell Loines Award for Poetry. She was the author of several books, including two novels. (from Wiki)  Davidman first met writer C.S. Lewis (Jack) in August 1952, when she made a trip to England, after a two-year correspondence with him. She planned to finish her book on the Ten Commandments that she had been working on, and which showed influences by Lewis’s style of apologetics. After several lunch meetings and walks accompanying Davidman and his brother, Warren Lewis wrote in his diary that “a rapid friendship” had developed between his younger brother and Davidman, whom he described as “a Christian convert of Jewish race, medium height, good figure, horn rimmed specs, quite extraordinarily uninhibited.” She spent Christmas and a fortnight at The Kilns with the brothers and by this time was said to have fallen in love with C. S. Lewis, but he seemed to be oblivious to her feelings.   Click Here to go to Wikipedia’s  ==> Joy Davidman page where you can read more.  

To open an short PDF excerpt from Smoke on the Mountain click

here ==> Smoke On The Mountain.

Click here for the  ==>The Table of Conents for Smoke on the Mountain. You can get to the indicated text by clicking on any hot link since a full version of Davidman’s book can be accessed here.  

Finally, here is an an Amazon link which will take you to Davidman’s book, ==>Smoke on The Mountain, whereat more reviews can be had along with order information for those interested in obtaining a copy of the book.

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For those of you who would be interested in viewing a dramatic representation of the relationship that eventually led to their marriage, you may want to watch the You Tube above which is a trailer for Shadowlands  a very good film, which came out in 1985, written by  William Nicholson, directed by Norman Stone and produced by David M. Thompson for BBC Wales.

My Childhood with Joy Davidman and CS Lewis, was also performed in London as an award-winning stage play in 1989–90.The play, transferred successfully to Broadway in 1990–91 with Nigel Hawthorn and Jane Alexander starring and was also revived in London in 2007.A cinema film version was released in 1993, with Anthony Hopkins as Jack (C. S. Lewis) and Debra Winger as Joy Davidman.^{(from Wikipedia)}

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For those of us who saw the movie but would like more, you will probably appreciate the book below. You can find an Amazon link to the book just below the title whereat for those who desire to do so you can purchase this gem for just a few cents[ plus S&S] as a used book.

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C.S. Lewis

Through the Shadowlands

The Story  of His Life

With

Joy Davidman

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==> The Amazon Link <==

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A Goodreads Book Review

Barb Bailey rated it 5 of 5 stars

At first glance, they were an unlikely couple: C. S. Lewis, a distinguished author and Oxford scholar, and Joy Davidman, a Jewish-American divorce, converted Christian, mother of two, and former Communist Party member. But together they walked through life’s challenges, persevering despite having their faith tested in the face of suffering and death. This amazing true story reveals the many events that occurred I Loved this book…would reccomend to anyone. A ture and lovely love story and more!

At first glance, they were an unlikely couple: C. S. Lewis, a distinguished author and Oxford scholar, and Joy Davidman, a Jewish-American divorce, converted Christian, mother of two, and former Communist Party member. But together they walked through life’s challenges, persevering despite having their faith tested in the face of suffering and death. This amazing true story reveals the many events that occurred in the lives of two astounding Christians to bring them together and spark their love for each other. Readers will experience both their tender moments and the darkest hours where faith was tested and shaken to its very foundations. More than a biography and more than a love story, this is a moving tribute to a couple whose faith, hope, and love grew through adversity. Previously published as C. S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands.

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^{Joy Davidman is known, if she is known at all, as the wife of C. S. Lewis. Their marriage was immortalized in the film Shadowlands and Lewis’s memoir, A Grief Observed. Now, through extraordinary new documents as well as years of research and interviews, Abigail Santamaria brings Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis to the page in the fullness and depth she deserves.}

A poet and radical, Davidman was a frequent contributor to the communist vehicle New Masses and an active member of New York literary circles in the 1930s and 40s. After growing up Jewish in the Bronx, she was an atheist, then a practitioner of Dianetics; she converted to Christianity after experiencing a moment of transcendent grace. A mother, a novelist, a vibrant and difficult and intelligent woman, she set off for England in 1952, determined to captivate the man whose work had changed her life.

Davidman became the intellectual and spiritual partner Lewis never expected but cherished. She helped him refine his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, and to write his novel Till We Have Faces. Their relationship—begun when Joy wrote to Lewis as a religious guide—grew from a dialogue about faith, writing, and poetry into a deep friendship and a timeless love story.

==> An Amazon Link <==