Narniamania sweeps Belfast, hometown
of CS Lewis

BELFAST—Northern Ireland is celebrating the cinema release of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” with the first festival dedicated to the memory of its native author, C.S Lewis. “This whole country shaped Lewis’s imagination and his life,” and in turn it helped to shape the magical universe of his work, said Ronnie Bresland, author of a book about Lewis’s life on the island of Ireland.
He told newsmen that Dunluce Castle, perched on a cliff near the majestic Giant’s Causeway rock formation, was Lewis’s childhood summer holiday destination and animated his writing. “Its very dramatic landscape inspired Care Paravel”, the fortress of Narnia, he explained. Through December 11, Belfast — where Clive Staples Lewis grew up during the early 20th century — will be filled with the fantastic creations of the seven novels which form “The Chronicles of Narnia” and begin with the Lion Aslan, the cruel white witch and the magical wardrobe.
A giant skating rink has been installed on the banks of the River Lagan to symbolize “the perpetual winter” to which the white witch condemned the world of Narnia. Visitors there can find Aslan, the heroic lion, as well as centaurs, giants and other creatures of Irish mythology.
Scenes from Lewis’s work based on the themes of Christianity and art were acted out Thursday for children in the streets and at the theatre, while adults afflicted with “Narniamania” could attend a literary conference at Queen’s University.—Agencies