THE FOUR LOVES

The four Greek words for our word love are "storge" (affection), "philia" (friendship), "eros" (sexual or romantic love) and "agape" (selfless love). In what is claimed to be the only professional recording of C.S. Lewis's voice, one can hear the mother of all audio programs about love and its vicissitudes. The speaker sounds stiff and academic at first--not as warm as he is in print--but this impression evaporates after a few minutes of listening because the essays are so pithy, exciting and surprisingly relevant in today's climate of impetuous relationships. The four cassette sides are integrated by the refreshing seamlessness of Lewis's thinking and many illuminating examples. For those interested in C.S. Lewis the person or those involved in any kind of love relationship, repeated listening will be utterly involuntary. T.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV/DEC 97]