Which C.S. Lewis work was published posthumously in 1964 as reflections on his wife's death?
Answer
A Grief Observed
Answer
A Grief Observed
A Grief Observed was published posthumously in 1964 as C.S. Lewis's reflections on his wife's death.
Lewis wrote the book after the death of Joy Davidman, his wife, from cancer in 1960. He originally published it under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk, partly to preserve privacy while expressing the raw and unsettling experience of bereavement. After Lewis's death, the work was reissued under his name.
The book consists of short, searching meditations rather than a conventional narrative biography. Lewis questions his own memories, emotional responses, and understanding of God while confronting grief. Its directness differs sharply from the more systematic argument of Mere Christianity.
Joy Davidman and Lewis had a civil marriage in 1956 and a Christian marriage ceremony in 1957. Their relationship and her illness are central background to the work. The title is often mistaken for an autobiography, but it is specifically a record of mourning and spiritual struggle.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026