Which C.S. Lewis autobiography recounts his return to Christianity?

Surprised by Joy is the C.S. Lewis autobiography that recounts his intellectual and spiritual journey back to Christianity. It was published in 1955 and covers his childhood, education, literary development, and changing beliefs.

Lewis describes a recurring experience he called “Joy”: an intense longing stirred by imagination, literature, and glimpses of beauty. In the book, that longing becomes part of his account of how he moved from childhood Christianity to atheism, then through theism, and ultimately back to Christian belief.

The book does not provide a complete account of every part of Lewis’s life. His First World War service, Oxford career, and friendships receive attention, but the focus is the formation of his mind and faith. The title is associated with the German Romantic writer Friedrich Schiller, whose work helped Lewis think about the distinctive longing he called Joy.