What was C.S. Lewis’s wartime pseudonym for early poetry?

C.S. Lewis published his early poetry under the pseudonym Clive Hamilton.

Lewis used Clive Hamilton for two poetry collections: Spirits in Bondage, published in 1919, and Dymer, published in 1926. The first book appeared while he was still a young man and reflected the disillusionment associated with his experiences during and after the First World War.

The name combined his first name, Clive, with a surname chosen for publication. Lewis later became much better known by the initials C.S. Lewis, so readers can overlook the connection between the poetry and his later prose career.

The pseudonym is also distinct from “N.W. Clerk,” the name Lewis used for A Grief Observed after the death of his wife Joy Davidman. These two pseudonyms belong to different periods and purposes in his writing life.