Which American writer did C.S. Lewis marry in a civil ceremony in 1956?

C.S. Lewis married the American writer Joy Davidman in a civil ceremony in 1956.

Davidman was born in New York City in 1915 and became known as a poet, novelist, and essayist. She corresponded with Lewis before they met in person, and their friendship gradually developed into a close relationship.

The couple’s civil marriage took place at Oxford Register Office in April 1956. A Christian marriage ceremony followed in March 1957 at the Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin, Headington, after Davidman was diagnosed with cancer.

Davidman died in 1960. Lewis later described aspects of his grief and their relationship in A Grief Observed, first published under a pseudonym. The book is sometimes mistakenly treated as a conventional autobiography, but it is a raw series of reflections on bereavement and faith.