A FURIOUS debate among C S Lewis devotees has been provoked by HarperCollins over plans to produce new Narnia novels without any references to Christianity.
Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, the saga that began in 1950 with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, appeals to the same readership as the Harry Potter books. The series has sold in increasing numbers since the success of J K Rowling's schoolboy wizard.
HarperCollins's new Narnia novels have yet to be written. It is not known whose name will appear on the books, C S Lewis, one of the 20th century's most influential Christian writers, or another author. The originals are suffused with Christian themes and imagery and many of Lewis's characters are representations of biblical figures.
John West, co-editor of the C S Lewis Readers Encyclopedia, told the New York Times: "They're turning Narnia into a British version of Mickey Mouse. What they've figured out is that Harry Potter is a cash cow. And here's a way they can decompartmentalise the children's novels from the rest of Lewis. That is what is so troubling. Narnia is a personal creation and they are turning it into a corporate creation."
Leaked e-mails from a HarperCollins executive said: "This is the biggie as far as the estate and our publishing interests are concerned. We'll need to be able to give emphatic assurances that no attempt will be made to correlate the stories to Christian imagery/theology."
The Narnia novels have sold more than 65 million copies in more than 30 languages. Simon Adley, managing director of the C S Lewis Company, which handles the Lewis estate, said it was "fatuous to suggest that we're trying to take the Christian out of C S Lewis".
But Lisa Herling, of HarperCollins, said: "The goal is to publish the works of C S Lewis to the broadest possible audience and leave any interpretation to the reader."