Which Cambridge college became C.S. Lewis’s academic home after he left Oxford?

Magdalene College, Cambridge, became C.S. Lewis’s academic home after he left Oxford.

In 1954, Lewis was appointed the first Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University. He became a Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he continued his teaching and scholarly work until his death in 1963.

The Cambridge appointment followed nearly three decades at Magdalen College, Oxford. The two college names are pronounced differently and belong to different universities, but their similar spelling often leads to mistakes in biographies and quiz answers. Lewis’s Cambridge college is Magdalene, ending with “-lene,” while his Oxford college was Magdalen, ending with “-len.”

At Cambridge, Lewis continued writing, lecturing, and corresponding with readers and fellow scholars. His move did not end his connection with Oxford, where he still had longstanding friends and professional associations. The appointment also recognized his authority as a historian of English literature and medieval and Renaissance culture.