Which C.S. Lewis book is a fictional autobiography of a man whose faith changes over time?

The Pilgrim’s Regress is C.S. Lewis’s fictional autobiography of a man whose faith changes over time.

Published in 1933, The Pilgrim’s Regress follows John, a character who leaves his home after seeing an obstacle called the Grand Canyon. His journey through a symbolic landscape represents Lewis’s own intellectual and spiritual development, including his movement from atheism toward Christianity.

The title deliberately recalls John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, but Lewis’s book is not a sequel or adaptation. It is a modern allegorical journey filled with philosophical debates, cultural criticism, and religious symbolism. Lewis added a subtitle describing it as an allegorical apology for Christianity, reason, and romanticism.

The book appeared soon after Lewis’s conversion to Christianity and before he became a nationally famous broadcaster and apologist. Some readers find its allusions difficult because it reflects debates from the early twentieth century and assumes familiarity with Christian vocabulary. Lewis later wrote a preface explaining some of the symbolism, which can help distinguish the work’s autobiographical elements from its fictional characters and settings.