What was the title of C.S. Lewis’s 1956 allegorical novel about Orual and Psyche?

C.S. Lewis’s 1956 allegorical novel about Orual and Psyche is titled Till We Have Faces. Its full title is Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, and it was Lewis’s final novel.

The book reworks the ancient myth of Cupid and Psyche from the viewpoint of Orual, Psyche’s older sister. Set in the fictional kingdom of Glome, it explores jealousy, love, accusation, religious experience, and the difficulty of seeing oneself honestly. Unlike the Narnia books, it was written primarily for adults.

Readers sometimes mistake the novel for a direct retelling with the same emphasis as the classical source. Lewis instead changes the perspective and gives Orual the dominant narrative voice. The title points toward the book’s concern with identity, self-knowledge, and the masks people use before they can speak truthfully.