What was the pen name of C.S. Lewis’s first poetry collection, published in 1919?

C.S. Lewis used the pen name Clive Hamilton for his first poetry collection, Spirits in Bondage, published in 1919. The book appeared shortly after his service in the First World War and before his academic career had become widely known.

The collection contains poems reflecting war, suffering, nature, and spiritual questioning. Lewis was twenty years old when it was published. The name Clive Hamilton combined his preferred first name, Clive, with a surname chosen for publication.

Lewis later used other forms of anonymity. A Grief Observed appeared under N.W. Clerk in 1961, partly because its direct account of bereavement was deeply personal. Clive Hamilton should not be confused with C.S. Lewis’s legal name, Clive Staples Lewis, or with the name Jack, which he used in everyday life.