Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life (Harcourt Brace Modern Classic)

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life (Harcourt Brace Modern Classic)

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1571 ratings, 3.95 average rating, 137 reviews (more data...)

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published

November 1st 1995 (first published 1955) by Harcourt

binding

Hardcover, 240 pages

characters

Clive Staples Lewis

isbn

0151001855 (isbn13: 9780151001859)

description

In this book Lewis tells of his search for joy, a spiritual journey that led him from the Christianity of his early youth into atheism and then back t...more

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All ratings | 5 stars (474) | 4 stars (595) | 3 stars (371) | 2 stars (66) | 1 star (18) | avg 3.95

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Ron

Ron rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

09/16/08

bookshelves: history

Read in January, 2007

Lewis's famous, if incomplete, autobiography. You can't pretend to understand Lewis if you haven't walked with him through some of these dark and troubling times.

Recommend you also read a biography like Alan Jacobs' <i.The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis</i>. ISBN 0060872691.

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erik graff

erik rated it:

(review of isbn 015187011X)

10/13/08

bookshelves: biography

Read in January, 1963

recommended to erik by: Mildred Hogle
recommends it for: Lewis fans

Until I was fourteen, the closest neighbors to grandmother's cottage in Michigan were the Hogles, Mildred and Alfred. Without children of their own, sixtyish, they acted as doting grandparents for me and the only kid who actually lived year-round in the Livingston Hills area, my contemporary, Diane Werner.

August 16, a date now immortalized by the passing of Elvis, is my birthday. On the sixth or seventh of them Diane had come over in the morning, watched me open the gifts, shared the birth...more Until I was fourteen, the closest neighbors to grandmother's cottage in Michigan were the Hogles, Mildred and Alfred. Without children of their own, sixtyish, they acted as doting grandparents for me and the only kid who actually lived year-round in the Livingston Hills area, my contemporary, Diane Werner.

August 16, a date now immortalized by the passing of Elvis, is my birthday. On the sixth or seventh of them Diane had come over in the morning, watched me open the gifts, shared the birthday sweets and sat, bored, with me at the SE corner of the house as the rain poured down. Nanny, my dad's mother, seeing our plight, remarked that when she was young children would run naked in the rain. Diane and I looked at one another across the table, skeptically.

Within minutes we were naked and in the warm summer downpour. What to do? We ran along the path, south to the Hogle's white house, creeping to their big picture window with its view thru the wood to the lake. There was Millie in the kitchen, giggle... We tapped on the glass, running off into the trees. We did it again...

When the Hogles had Diane and me to dinner they would always serve desert first. This made sense to us. This made dinner invitations to the Hogles attractive. We never told our parents.

When I started getting really bookish at about age ten, the Hogles started loaning me things to read, there being no library in town, no easy way to get to town if there had been a library, and they having the biggest library in Livingston Hills--floor to ceiling shelves in their great porch with a globes of the world and the heavens to boot. I could pick my own, but they would make recommendations. Some of the books they recommended were by C.S. Lewis. I didn't know it, but the Hogles were, gasp!, Christians.

Thus, I read Lewis' Perelandra Trilogy at such an early age that I'd little idea of the ideology he was pushing, reading the books as just more science fiction/fantasy and enjoying them as such. Having liked them, I proceeded, with a little nudge perhaps, to his autobiography, Surprised By Joy, which I also liked, it being the first description I'd ever read of English schoolboy life. The homoeroticism, however, probably escaped me as did the call the conversion.

Whatever. The Hogles were very nice to us and I miss them and all of the ice cream....less

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Peter

Peter rated it:

(review of isbn 0006238157)

10/22/08

Read in October, 2008

I picked this up at the Church Fair book stall because it was in better condition than my copy. Of course, I was then obliged to re-read it!

As an autobiography, it is a bit strange, but as Lewis says in the preface, his objective is to answer all the people who aks how he, an atheist, became a Christian. While his early history in particular is relevant to this objective, not all the events in his life that would normally be chronicled in a biography get even a mention.

This is a bit ...more

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Lavinia

Lavinia rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

09/14/08

bookshelves: 2005, 2008, de-recitit-oricind

Read in June, 2008

"Surprised by Joy" este autobiografia intelectuala a lui C.S. Lewis si prezinta trecerea lui de la crestinismul din copilarie la ateism, la teism si apoi la un crestinism matur. In prima parte a cartii descrie copilaria in Irlanda, relatia cu tatal si fratele lui, apoi diversele scoli si internate prin care a trecut, anii petrecuti la Oxford si experienta primului razboi mondial. Intors la Oxford dupa citiva ani, intilneste mai multi intelectuali crestini, printre care si J.R.R. Tolkie...more "Surprised by Joy" este autobiografia intelectuala a lui C.S. Lewis si prezinta trecerea lui de la crestinismul din copilarie la ateism, la teism si apoi la un crestinism matur. In prima parte a cartii descrie copilaria in Irlanda, relatia cu tatal si fratele lui, apoi diversele scoli si internate prin care a trecut, anii petrecuti la Oxford si experienta primului razboi mondial. Intors la Oxford dupa citiva ani, intilneste mai multi intelectuali crestini, printre care si J.R.R. Tolkien. Lecturile lui sint masive si impresionante, incepind cu mitologie [nordica, celtica si greaca:], continuind cu poetii romantici, filozofi [Aristotel, Berckeley, Hegel:], ajungind pina la autori crestini, cum ar fi Milton si G. K.Chesterton. In 1929, in timpul unei calatorii cu autobuzul [ :) ] accepta existenta lui Dumnezeu. In 1931, dupa o lunga discutie cu Tolkien si Dyson despre crestinism si mitologie, si o lunga noapte de lupta cu ideea acceptarii lui Isus ca fiinta divina, devine crestin.

Cei [ca mine:] care se astepta sa gaseasca o o trezire spectaculoasa la Realitate, vor fi usor dezamagiti. Pentru ca totul se intimpla la nivel intelectual, tot procesul e unul rational. Cartea merita oricum citita.
Mi-a placut mult fragmentul in care vorbeste de intoarcerea lui din razboi, profesor fiind, si-i face prieteni pe Tolkien si H.Dyson, iar cind afla ca acestia sint crestini ajunge sa exclame: “these queer people seemed now to pop on every side!”. ;)

***
l-am gasit pe arthur stind in pat, in capul oaselor. pe masa de alaturi era un exemplar din "myths of the norsemen".

si tie iti place cartea asta? am intrebat eu.

si tie iti place cartea asta? a intrebat el.

in clipa urmatoare tineam amindoi cartea in miini, sedeam cu capetele aplecate deasupra ei, aratam cu degetul, citam, vorbeam - aproape strigam - descoperind, intr-un torent de intrebari, ca eram incintati nu doar de acelasi lucru, ci si de aceleasi fragmente si in acelasi fel; ca amindoi simtiseram sagetarea Bucuriei si ca, pentru amindoi, sageata fusese trasa din nord. mii de oameni au avut experienta descoperirii celui dintii prieten, dar ea continua sa fie o minune; o minune la fel de mare [pace romancierilor:] ca prima iubire, sau chiar mai mare. fiind departe de a crede in posibilitatea de a avea un prieten, nu tinjisem niciodata sa am unul, nu mai mult decit sa ajung regele angliei. daca as fi descoperit ca arthur concepuse in mod independent o replica exacta a lumii boxoniene, nu as fi fost din cale-afara de surprins. probabil nimic nu este mai uluitor in viata unui om decit descoperirea ca exista de fapt oameni care-i seamana foarte, foarte mult....less

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Sara

Sara rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

08/31/08

Read in August, 2008

"Surprised by Joy" What an awesome title!!! C.S Lewis' passion in life was reading, so this book at times reads as lists of authors and works... it took me a long time to get into the book (not till about 1/2 way through!) because I can't relate to any of that (this book makes me feel how shamefully lacking and shallow my education was!!). Other than that I enjoyed the book a lot. Lewis' writing style is candid and open (it reminds me a lot of my emails- he analyzes everything and...more "Surprised by Joy" What an awesome title!!! C.S Lewis' passion in life was reading, so this book at times reads as lists of authors and works... it took me a long time to get into the book (not till about 1/2 way through!) because I can't relate to any of that (this book makes me feel how shamefully lacking and shallow my education was!!). Other than that I enjoyed the book a lot. Lewis' writing style is candid and open (it reminds me a lot of my emails- he analyzes everything and he goes on and on and on! But the effect is a sense of warm familiarity- maybe like having your cup of coffee with the man instead of just a book). In many ways the writing style is fresh, clever, humorous... I did feel that the book's conclusion was a bit unsatisfying, however. He wrapped it up all too fast it seemed, and just the time when all the details would have been most interesting- the last phase of his conversion to Christianity- it flew by. But the author of his own autobiography knows best.

Some quotes:

"A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere... God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous."

"[It was:] merely the mental track left by the passage of Joy- not the wave but the wave's imprint on the sand. The inherent dialectic of desire itself had already shown me this; for all images and sensations, if idolatrously mistaken for Joy itself, soon honestly confessed themselves inadequate. All said, in the last resort, 'It is not I. I am only a reminder. Look! Look! What do I remind you of?'"

"That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not see then what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape?... The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation."...less

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Krista

Krista rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

07/13/08

Read in June, 2008

The story of how C.S. Lewis was converted to Christianity. I don't often find biographies gripping, and I won't say this was a page-turner, but I did enjoy it. Most disconcerting for me was possibly the boarding school chapters. The only boarding school stories I'd read previously had been written either by Rowling or by Wodehouse, so I kept expecting some funny plot to take shape, and it never happened. Still, the anecdotes were interesting, and they all came together to show his gradual transf...more The story of how C.S. Lewis was converted to Christianity. I don't often find biographies gripping, and I won't say this was a page-turner, but I did enjoy it. Most disconcerting for me was possibly the boarding school chapters. The only boarding school stories I'd read previously had been written either by Rowling or by Wodehouse, so I kept expecting some funny plot to take shape, and it never happened. Still, the anecdotes were interesting, and they all came together to show his gradual transformation.

My favorite parts, though, were phrases and ideas thrown out almost carelessly. There were two kinds that struck me, and he actually discusses them in the book. The first is the concept of the first friend--someone who shares your thoughts and ideas and hopes and dreams, who voices ideas you thought no one else but you had. You know, the type of thing where you say, "what, you too? I thought it was only me!" And you're suddenly fast friends.

The second friend, Lewis says, is the person who likes all the same things you do, but likes them for all the wrong reasons. You see concepts you know, but they're somehow completely different from the way you understood them. You fight and fight and each person believes that he's the one right, but you eventually come to respect each other, and learn from one another.

(Lewis also compares this type of friendship to the gap in understanding between men and women, which I thought was fantastic.)

So I spent the whole book either saying to myself "exactly! exactly! He's hit the nail right on the head. I'm so glad other people have thought that, too," or "Well, I think I see what he means, but it's...it's just a little off. Doesn't he see that that's not it at all, that really, this is what's going on? Still, it's an interesting take on the situation." The book was both my first and second friends. How meta?

Anyway, I liked Surprised By Joy, and it defined some of my favorite concepts beautifully, and introduced me to a few more that I love. I'm glad to have read it, glad to own it, but I think I'll read his more plot-driven books more frequently than I'll read this one....less

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Shirley

Shirley rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

06/12/08

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: C.S. Lewis fans

Long before he wrote the Narnia series. C.S. Lewis was a boy from the countryside. He was obsessed with reading and writing stories about a world of talking animals. He was also interested in knights in armour and norsemen. You can see where he got his inspiration for his fictional writing.

Besides the Narnia Chronicles, Lewis wrote many books about Christianity. According to the preface of Surprised by Joy, this book was written to explain his change from Athesim to Christianity. He admits...more

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Lucian

Lucian rated it:

(review of isbn 0156870118)

04/13/08

Read in April, 2008

I fear I like this book for the wrong reasons. For one, I found it fascinating as an introspective look into a past life and a past world. The shockingly deplorable conditions at Lewis' schools lead one to wonder how it was possible he should emerge to produce such magnificent work. Other such details, of personalities or landscapes, capture the imagination. My own temperament, I think, inclines me more towards the longing chapters of Lewis' youth.

As the work is one of a spiritual progress, ...more

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Lazuli

Lazuli rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

03/09/08

bookshelves: currently-reading, listening-to-audiobook

Read in March, 2008

I haven't finished listening to this book, but I'm once again finding myself profoundly moved by Lewis's very British, very "I was born in the previous century" narrative of losing and finding faith, of chasing his always elusive "Joy" and eventually realizing he could find it in the teachings of the church. When I was in high school, I read this book after seeing the movie about Lewis of the same title, and that was the first time I'd ever known, for sure, that other people...more

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Marie

Marie rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

04/07/08

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: C.S. Lewis fans

This was a difficult read. There were entire chapters that were enormously boring, mostly because I didn't recognize or relate to any of the references, like mythology, literature and British boarding school references.
Still, I found bits of Lewis's side-splitting humor, insight into his process from atheist to Theist to Christian and quite a few thoughtful passages.
When Lewis finally does describe his conversion he is clear to point out that it was a conversion first to Theism and not to C...more

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Chris

Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 0156870118)

08/23/07

Read in August, 2007

I was eager to read this book out of curiosity for what would lead a man like C. S. Lewis from atheism to Christianity. I'm a big fan of Lewis's other writings. He has great style and a gift for using innovative metaphors to communicate deep truths. This book was different, though, in that it was so introspective. It was strange to hear Lewis musing, page after page, on his own thought processes and spiritual development. It was also surprising to discover that Lewis's atheism, like that of...more

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Megan

Megan rated it:

(review of isbn 0006238157)

06/13/07

bookshelves: non-fiction, religion

Read in June, 2006

Another one pulled from my blog's reading list:

So when one of my roommates found out I was reading this, they responded “You’re reading Lewis?” This is explained by my recent sarcasms about my church’s (and evangelicals more generally) “idolatry of C.S. Lewis” and my refusal to do such things as attend the recent series of talks on campus named after this very book. But the deal is that I have a pretty nice edition (from a time when I myself accorded Lewis something like the “p...more

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Briana

Briana rated it:

(review of isbn 0156870118)

11/26/08

After reading a lot of works by C.S. Lewis, this autobiography provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of the author. This book introduces the man behind the writer and traces Lewis' spiritual journey, detailing a quest for reason and understanding which eventually led to Christ. A must-read for any C.S. Lewis fan.

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Andy

Andy rated it:

(review of isbn 0156870118)

12/03/08

bookshelves: inklings

Read in November, 2008

I guess the main attraction of "Surprised By Joy" is supposed to be Lewis' conversion from atheism to Christianity, but I can't get past the descriptions of his formal education. Between reading Joyce, Orwell and Lewis, I think I'd rather go to prison than to an early-20th-century school for boys in the British Isles. And then the men in that generation had to fight WWI. My life is easy.

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Karen

Karen rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

12/04/08

Read in January, 1999

This book tells an amazing story of C.S. Lewis conversion to Christianity. He is a very intelligent man and knows so very much (and many languages). IT is well worth the read, but at times it is a bit of a harder read.

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Jonathan

Jonathan rated it:

05/26/07

Read in November, 2005

Lewis said himself that the most compelling parts of people's autobiographies are their childhoods. Unfortunately I couldn't quite get into the early-going chapters of this book that were about his upbringing. I wasn't interested in the all-boys boarding school days or some other segments. This book really picked up for me when Lewis began explaining his transition from childhood Christian to atheist to theist and again to Christian. The mental picture of a higher power and a mere man moving the...more

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John

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

06/22/07

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: Those interested in the experience of spirituality and movement between faiths and doubts

While the first half is necessary to the appreciation of the second, it is the second half that is most worthwhile, where Lewis explains most of the values he held at certain times in terms of experiences, and most crucially, what events, sometimes as simple as one spoken sentence, stuck. Especially considering how rigid or unyielding Lewis' other books are about his Christianity, this is very enlightening to the human experience of faith and doubt. You don't have to agree with his beliefs or co...more

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Paula

Paula rated it:

(review of isbn 0006280838)

11/13/08

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Paula by: So many people, I cannot say
recommends it for: Everyone

I believe that of all the C. S. Lewis books I've read--and I've read most--this is my favorite. I love his candor. I love his evolving sense of the divine. I love his passion for the literature and natural splendors that shaped his faith. Every conversion is idiosyncratic, and so particular to the individual that it cannot be shared in the broad sense. Yet, the path itself has characteristics that are recognizable by all who have tread it. We have all known the darkness of doubt. We have all suf...more

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Kiwiria

Kiwiria rated it:

07/06/07

bookshelves: 2-stars, 2007, biographies, non-fiction, not-owned

Read in March, 2007

I somehow mixed this book up with the one he wrote about his wife (wasn't her name Joy?), so it took awhile to get into the proper mindset when I discovered it wasn't the book I thought it was. Even so, I wasn't terribly impressed by it. As wonderful a writer as C.S. Lewis usually is, he just couldn't keep me interested in this one. I felt a bit like going "Yes? And?" when I finished it. Somehow the writing style just completely failed to grasp me. Granted, he did write a disclaimer ve...more

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Michael

Michael rated it:

(review of isbn 0156870118)

04/06/08

bookshelves: religious

Read in April, 2008

This is an interesting look into the early life and conversion of one of the most brilliant Christians of all time. However, I think it might only be of interest to Lewis fans. There are a few wise observations now and again, but they are few and far between. Mostly he is just recounting the story of his life, and the careful reader can see the process of how some of his more brillaint ideas were formed. To anyone who is not a Lewis fan, I would recommend his other books like Mere Christiani...more

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