Which 1955 book by C.S. Lewis recounts his spiritual journey?

Surprised by Joy is C.S. Lewis’s 1955 book recounting his spiritual journey.

The work is commonly described as an autobiography of Lewis’s intellectual and religious development. It traces his childhood, education, growing interest in mythology and literature, movement away from Christianity, and eventual return to Christian belief.

Lewis uses the idea of “joy” for a powerful, fleeting experience of longing or desire. He connects this feeling with books, northern mythology, and moments that seemed to point beyond ordinary satisfaction. The title does not refer to simple happiness or a conventional memoir of domestic life.

Lewis’s conversion developed over several stages. He became a theist before returning to Christianity, and conversations with friends including J.R.R. Tolkien influenced his thinking. A Grief Observed, by contrast, concerns his grief after the death of his wife and was published under a pseudonym in 1961.