Which 1940 C.S. Lewis book examines the problem of suffering and belief in God?

The Problem of Pain is C.S. Lewis’s 1940 book examining suffering and belief in God. Lewis considers how pain, punishment, free will, and divine goodness can be discussed within Christian theology.

The book was written as a philosophical and theological treatment of suffering rather than as a memoir. Lewis distinguishes the intellectual problem of explaining suffering from the emotional experience of enduring it, a distinction he later revisited after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman.

The Problem of Pain is frequently confused with A Grief Observed, Lewis’s much more personal 1961 reflection on bereavement. It is also distinct from Mere Christianity, which grew from wartime radio talks and presents a broader case for Christian belief.