What was the title of C.S. Lewis’s 1940 book on the problem of suffering?

C.S. Lewis’s 1940 book on the problem of suffering was The Problem of Pain. It examines how pain, evil, human freedom, divine goodness, and the Christian doctrine of hell can be understood together.

The book was written as a work of Christian apologetics, meaning that Lewis aimed to present and defend Christian ideas through reasoned argument. It was published during the early years of the Second World War, when questions about suffering had immediate public force.

The Problem of Pain is often confused with A Grief Observed, Lewis’s later personal response to the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. The former is a theological argument; the latter is a grief-stricken meditation written after personal loss.