Surprised by Joy is C.S. Lewis’s autobiography about his conversion and spiritual development.
Published in 1955, Surprised by Joy traces Lewis’s intellectual and religious journey from childhood through his return to Christianity. The narrative discusses his early love of Norse mythology, the emotional impact of his mother’s death, his education, military service in the First World War, friendships, and changing views about God.
The title refers to Lewis’s distinctive idea of “joy,” an intense and fleeting longing triggered by experiences such as reading, nature, or imaginative beauty. He distinguished this feeling from ordinary happiness because it pointed beyond itself toward something he believed could not be fully possessed in this world. The word also echoes a line from William Wordsworth’s poetry.
Lewis’s conversion was gradual rather than a single simple event. He became a theist in the late 1920s and returned to Christianity in the early 1930s, influenced by conversations with friends including J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson. The autobiography ends before many later personal events.