What is the title of C.S. Lewis’s autobiography?

C.S. Lewis’s autobiography is titled Surprised by Joy. Published in 1955, the book traces his intellectual and spiritual development from childhood through his conversion to Christianity.

Lewis describes his early life in Belfast, his education, his experiences during World War I, and the influence of literature and mythology on his thinking. The narrative also recounts his movement from atheism toward belief in Christianity.

The title refers to Lewis’s idea of “joy,” a powerful longing or sense of desire that he associated with moments of imaginative and spiritual apprehension. He distinguished this experience from ordinary happiness or pleasure.

Surprised by Joy is not a complete day-by-day account of Lewis’s life. Instead, it concentrates on the experiences and ideas that shaped his worldview. Readers sometimes confuse it with A Grief Observed, which is Lewis’s later reflection on mourning after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman.