Which 1956 novel did C.S. Lewis base partly on the myth of Cupid and Psyche?

C.S. Lewis’s 1956 novel Till We Have Faces is partly based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche. It was the last novel he published during his lifetime.

The story retells the classical myth through the perspective of Orual, a princess and queen. By shifting the viewpoint away from Psyche, Lewis examines jealousy, worship, self-knowledge, love, and the difficulty of seeing oneself honestly. The subtitle, “A Myth Retold,” signals its relationship to the ancient source.

Lewis had been fascinated by classical mythology since childhood and was a professional scholar of medieval and Renaissance literature. His version is therefore not a simple modernization. It develops psychological and philosophical questions that are less prominent in many familiar summaries of Cupid and Psyche.

The book initially received less attention than his children’s fantasy and apologetic works, but it later became one of his most respected novels. It is frequently discussed as a mature literary achievement rather than as part of The Chronicles of Narnia or the Space Trilogy.