Which C.S. Lewis book presents his autobiographical account of finding joy?

Surprised by Joy is C.S. Lewis’s autobiographical account of his intellectual and spiritual development. It was published in 1955.

The book traces Lewis’s childhood, education, developing imagination, and movement from atheism toward Christianity. Its title refers to a distinctive experience of longing or intense desire that Lewis connected with moments of beauty and imagination. The narrative does not present his entire life in equal detail; it focuses especially on the experiences that shaped his beliefs.

Surprised by Joy is often confused with A Grief Observed, which records Lewis’s response to the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. The similar word “Joy” can cause confusion: in the autobiography it is chiefly a concept and experience, while Joy Davidman was a real person and Lewis’s wife.