Which C.S. Lewis book is an autobiography about his early spiritual journey?

Surprised by Joy is C.S. Lewis’s autobiography about his early spiritual journey.

Published in 1955, Surprised by Joy recounts Lewis’s childhood, education, intellectual development, movement toward atheism, and eventual return to Christianity. The title refers to moments of intense longing or “joy” that Lewis associated with experiences of beauty, literature, and imagination.

The book describes important influences such as mythology, Norse literature, and his friendships with fellow scholars. It also covers his wartime service and the intellectual changes that preceded his conversion. Lewis became a Christian in stages, first returning to theism and later embracing Christianity.

Surprised by Joy is not a complete account of every year of Lewis’s life. A Grief Observed, published later under a pseudonym, focuses on bereavement after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. The two books therefore address very different periods and subjects.