What was C.S. Lewis’s 1956 autobiographical book about his conversion titled?

C.S. Lewis’s 1956 autobiographical book about his conversion is titled Surprised by Joy. The book traces important stages in his intellectual and spiritual development, including his movement from atheism toward Christianity.

Lewis describes childhood experiences, his education, military service in the First World War, and the influence of authors and friends. He presents “joy” as a distinctive longing or desire rather than simply ordinary happiness, and he connects that idea with episodes from his life.

The book is not a complete diary or a conventional year-by-year autobiography. Lewis shaped the material around the development of his beliefs and imagination. His friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien and other literary influences appears in the broader story of his conversion.

A common mix-up is A Grief Observed, which concerns Lewis’s response to the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. Surprised by Joy instead focuses on his earlier life and conversion.