In C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, the senior demon Screwtape writes letters to his nephew Wormwood.
The book was published in 1942 and takes the form of advice from Screwtape, an experienced tempter, to Wormwood, a younger demon assigned to influence a human being. Lewis uses this reversed viewpoint to examine temptation, pride, distraction, fear, and self-deception.
The letters are not presented as a conventional adventure story. Their satirical structure lets Lewis expose destructive habits by having a demon describe them as useful strategies. The humor depends on readers recognizing that the advice is morally corrupt even when it sounds clever or practical.
Wormwood is the recipient, not the writer, which is the main naming mix-up. Lewis later wrote a short piece, “Screwtape Proposes a Toast,” connected with the original work but published separately.