C.S. Lewis’s wife Joy, whom he married in 1956, had the surname Davidman.
Joy Davidman was an American writer who corresponded with Lewis before moving to England. The couple entered into a civil marriage in 1956, initially so that Davidman could remain in Britain. Their relationship later became a committed personal marriage.
A Church of England ceremony followed in 1957, conducted by Lewis’s friend Reverend Peter Bide. Their years together were cut short when Davidman died of cancer in 1960.
Lewis’s book A Grief Observed reflects the anguish of bereavement, though it was published under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk. The 1993 film Shadowlands dramatized their relationship, but the film takes artistic liberties with some events.