What name did C.S. Lewis use for his 1926 poetry collection?

C.S. Lewis used the name Clive Hamilton for his 1926 poetry collection Spirits in Bondage.

Spirits in Bondage was Lewis’s first published book and appeared in 1919 under the pseudonym Clive Hamilton. The name combined his first name, Clive, with his mother’s maiden name, Hamilton. Lewis later used the same pseudonym for Dymer, a longer narrative poem published in 1926.

Lewis’s early poetry reflects the influence of classical literature, mythology, and philosophical questions. These works predate his conversion to Christianity and differ in tone from many of his later apologetic and devotional writings. He eventually became much better known for prose such as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.

The name can cause confusion because Lewis also used “Jack” as his familiar personal name, while “C.S. Lewis” became his professional identity. Clive Hamilton was specifically a literary pseudonym, not an alternate legal name.