The Screwtape Letters is a
Christian apologetic novel by
C. S. Lewis. It is written in a
satirical,
epistolary style and while it is
fictional in format, the plot and characters are used to address
Christian theological issues, primarily those to do with temptation and resistance to it. First published in February 1942, the story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior
Demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a Junior Tempter. The uncle's
mentorship pertains to the nephew's responsibility for securing the damnation of a British man known only as "the Patient".