Which 1955 book is C.S. Lewis’s spiritual autobiography about his return to Christianity?

C.S. Lewis’s 1955 spiritual autobiography about his return to Christianity is Surprised by Joy. The book describes the development of his religious and intellectual life, including his movement from childhood belief to atheism and then back toward Christianity.

Lewis discusses the intense experiences of longing and delight that he called “Joy.” In the book, Joy is not simply happiness but a desire sparked by beauty, imagination, literature, and moments of transcendent longing. He connects this experience with the path that eventually led him to Christian belief.

The work is an autobiography of conversion, but it is not a complete account of every part of Lewis’s life. A Grief Observed, for example, concerns the death of Joy Davidman and was published later. Mere Christianity also discusses Christian belief, but it originated as radio talks rather than as a personal life story.