What was the title of C.S. Lewis’s autobiography about his early life, published in 1955?

C.S. Lewis’s 1955 autobiography about his early life is titled Surprised by Joy.

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life recounts Lewis’s childhood, education, experiences during the First World War and intellectual development up to his conversion to Christianity. It was published in 1955 by Geoffrey Bles.

The title refers to Lewis’s idea of “joy,” a powerful longing or transient experience that he associated with imagination, literature and ultimately spiritual desire. The autobiography is not a complete account of his entire life; it concentrates on the formation of his mind and beliefs.

A Grief Observed is a later book about mourning Joy Davidman, while Mere Christianity develops Christian arguments. Neither is Lewis’s early-life autobiography, which is specifically Surprised by Joy.