Letters to Malcolm

This is the last book that C. S. Lewis wrote. He completed the manuscript in May 1963 and died November 22, 1963. The book was published posthumously. He actually began to write a book on prayer in 1952, but got stuck and put it aside. A decade later, he had the idea of structuring the book as a series of letters. Writing came easily after that. In addition, the structure allows Lewis to muse on various aspects of prayer without coming across as an expert.  

was Malcolm?  Unlike Mary in Letters to an American Lady who was an actual person, Malcolm is an imaginary friend.  The fictional Malcolm is a former college classmate, a layman, and an Anglican.  He is middle-aged with a wife named Betty and a son George. The developing correspondence allows Lewis to discuss aspects of prayer within the context of life experiences -- albeit a fictional family -- instead of as abstract concepts.

This book was written after A Grief Observed. To some, it confirms that Lewis had recovered his faith after it was severely tested by the death of his wife, Joy.