Which C.S. Lewis work is a memoir subtitled “The Shape of My Early Life”?

Surprised by Joy is the C.S. Lewis memoir subtitled “The Shape of My Early Life.”

Published in 1955, the book traces Lewis’s childhood, education, intellectual development, and movement from atheism toward Christianity. It is not a complete autobiography: Lewis concentrates on the experiences and ideas that shaped his early life, especially his encounters with literature, mythology, philosophy, and what he called “Joy.”

In Lewis’s usage, “Joy” was not simply happiness. It referred to an intense, often unexpected longing that pointed beyond ordinary satisfaction. He connected this experience with particular books and imaginative discoveries, including works associated with Norse mythology and George MacDonald.

The memoir ends before many of Lewis’s best-known later achievements, including the publication of The Chronicles of Narnia. Readers sometimes confuse it with A Grief Observed, his later reflection on the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. The two books have different subjects and emotional purposes.