Who was C.S. Lewis’s American wife?

C.S. Lewis’s American wife was Joy Davidman.

Joy Davidman was an American poet and writer who became a close friend of Lewis before their relationship developed into marriage. They first married in a civil ceremony in 1956, partly so that Davidman could remain in the United Kingdom. A Christian wedding ceremony followed in 1957 at Holy Trinity Church, Headington.

Davidman had two sons, Douglas and David Gresham, from her earlier marriage. She and Lewis lived together at The Kilns near Oxford. Their relationship is reflected in Lewis’s 1961 book A Grief Observed, written after Davidman was diagnosed with cancer and died in 1960.

A common confusion comes from the fact that Lewis’s marriage was relatively late in his life and that his earlier public image focused on scholarship and Christian apologetics. The 1993 film Shadowlands dramatized his relationship with Davidman, though the film changes or compresses parts of the historical record.