In her first book, Abigail Santamaria ’00 tells the story of the intricate life of Joy Davidman, the woman who captivated Lewis late in his life and influenced many of his works.
Joy Davidman has always lived in the shadow of C.S. Lewis, often being referred to as his late-life wife. For Abigail Santamaria 鈥00, though, she is so much more than that.
Santamaria鈥檚 book, 鈥淛oy: Poet, Seeker, and the Woman Who Captivated C.S. Lewis,鈥 was officially released Aug. 4 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt after more than a decade of research. The 432-page book is the first full biography on Davidman, and the first extensive look into her life before meeting Lewis.
A New York native, Santamaria first started working on the book in 2001, when she turned to the works of Lewis as she grappled with the Sept. 11 attacks. Among the books she read was 鈥淎 Grief Observed,鈥 Lewis鈥 heart-wrenching personal account of his own faith crisis after Davidman鈥檚 death.
鈥淲ho was this woman whose loss so ravaged the man whom I, and millions of others, admire for his rock-solid faith? What were the forces that shaped her intellect and personality, driving these two disparate characters together?鈥 Santamaria writes in the book introduction. 鈥淚 wanted to know more about her career, 鈥 about how she captivated the heart of C. S. Lewis; and about her influence on several of his finest books鈥斺楽urprised by Joy,鈥 鈥楾ill We Have Faces,鈥 鈥楾he Four Loves.鈥欌
Born in New York to Jewish parents, Davidman became an atheist and later turned to Scientology for a time before a 鈥渄ivine moment鈥 made her interested in Christianity. After reading in a biography that Lewis answered all letters that were sent to him, she began corresponding with him while married to another man. She worked her way into Lewis鈥 life, and when she was dying from bone cancer, Lewis realized he loved her and married her in the hospital.
The book launch took place at Davidman鈥檚 undergraduate alma mater鈥擧unter College in New York. Santamaria was joined by biographer Anne C. Heller as well as Debra Winger, who portrayed Davidman in the film 鈥淪hadowlands.鈥 During the event, Santamaria spoke about the process of gathering information for the biography, including an impromptu trip to Malta to visit Davidman鈥檚 son to make copies of more than 1,500 pages of vital information.
After graduating from 黑料不打烊 with an English degree in 2000, Santamaria received a master鈥檚 degree in fine arts from Columbia University. She has been awarded fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation, Jentel Arts and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
For more information on Santamaria and the book, .
By Kyle Lubinsky 鈥17