The Pevensie children - Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter - are taken to the English countryside to escape the bombings in London. They settle down to an old professor's enormous house that is full of things to discover. One day they decide to go exploring the house and find a room with nothing but a huge wardrobe in it. While the others simply move on to the next room, Lucy thinks the wardrobe looks very interesting. She steps into it - not closing the door, of course, as she's a very sensible little girl and knows how foolish it is to shut oneself into a wardrobe - and finds no back wall but a wintry forest.

In the forest Lucy meets a faun called Tumnus, who explains her all about the magical land she's just stepped into; the land's called Narnia, and there's winter there forever and never Christmas. That's because of the evil Witch ruling the land. Tumnus takes Lucy to his place to have tea, but is actually making plans on kidnapping her and taking to the White Witch - since the Witch has ordered everyone to do so if they should ever come across a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve. In the end, the faun has not the heart to do that, and Lucy gets back to the professor's house, only to find out no time has passed in the real world while she's been away.

Soon enough, all the four children end up in Narnia when hiding in the wardrobe. They go to see Mr. Tumnus, but they find his house torn apart and a message from the police: the faun's been taken to prison for a betrayal to the Witch. The children meet a beaver who's most delighted to see them, as their appearance in Narnia gives its inhabitants hope that one day the Witch will lose her power over the land. Aslan is on the move, the beaver says. Suddenly they discover Edmund's gone; he's gone to the Witch whom he's met before and grown fond of. Lucy, Susan and Peter have no choice but to stay in Narnia and help the inhabitants and the rightful king, Aslan, to win the Witch in order to get their brother back and save Mr. Tumnus.

~ ~ ~

Narnia-sarja kuuluu niihin kirjoihin, joista on yksinkertaisesti pidettävä - fantasiaklassikoihin, joihin voi palata aina uudelleen. Narnia ei menetä viehätystään, vaikka siellä piipahtaisi sataan kertaan.

Luin nyt ensi kertaa Narniaa englanniksi. Siitä on jo aikaa, kun olen lukenut kirjat suomeksi, mutta mielestäni Lewisin ihana lastenkirjamainen kielenkäyttö korostuu alkukielellä vielä paremmin kuin käännöksessä. Kirjasta löytyy hauskoja "älä kokeile tätä kotona" -tyylisiä varoituksia pienille ja vaikutteille alttiille lukijoille, kuten tuo juonitiivistelmäänkin ujuttamani "it is very foolish to shut oneself into a wardrobe", jota toistetaan useaan kertaan. Lastenkirjojahan nämä ovat, siitä ei ole epäilystäkään, mutta kukapa olisi liian vanha lukemaan lastenkirjoja. Tai kuten Lewis asian ilmaisee LWW:n omistuskirjoituksessa:

My Dear Lucy,
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be
your affectionate Godfather,
C.S. Lewis

Minulla tuota "liian vanha satuja lukemaan" -vaihetta ei ole koskaan ollutkaan, ja hyvä niin. Nyt olen taas palannut Narniaan, ja olen siitä hyvin iloinen. Narniaa on vain pakko rakastaa. <3

For Narnia, and for Aslan!