## Bibliography of C.S. Lewis

About forty books, from youth poetry to posthumous letters: Lewis's works classified by genre, with our reading recommendations.

The library of Lewis

More than 40 titles.
Novels, essays, criticism, poetry, letters.
Trivia: The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce.

Lewis published in almost every genre. Here are his books sorted by category. When a book has been translated, we give its French title and editions; when no French translation has been found in major catalogues (BnF, SUDOC, Swiss National Library), we keep the English title, followed by a translation of the title in square brackets. If you leave Narnia, we recommend starting with The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce or The Screwtape Letters.

Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia (7 books) (The Chronicles of Narnia, 1950-1956)
- First British editions: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (16 October 1950), Prince Caspian (15 October 1951), The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (15 September 1952), The Silver Chair (7 September 1953), The Horse and His Boy (6 September 1954), all published by Geoffrey Bles; The Magician's Nephew (2 May 1955) and The Last Battle (19 March 1956), published by The Bodley Head.

Fiction

The Pilgrim's Regress [The Pilgrim's Regress, not translated] (1933)
Out of the Silent Planet (Out of the Silent Planet, 1938) : first translated by Marguerite Faguer under the title Le Silence de la Terre (1952; reprinted by Retz in 1975 and by Oswald in 1981); new translation by Maurice Le Péchoux in The Cosmic Trilogy (L'Âge d'Homme, 1997), then in Folio SF (Gallimard, 2008), now out of print.
Perelandra (Perelandra, 1943)
That Hideous Strength (That Hideous Strength, 1945)
The Screwtape Letters (The Screwtape Letters, 1942) : the best starting point outside Narnia, funny and deep. Lewis's first book translated into French (Delachaux and Niestlé, Neuchâtel, 1943); available at Empreinte temps présent (2010).
The Great Divorce (The Great Divorce, 1945) : a bus that travels from a grey, rainy city to the outskirts of paradise. First published in French under the title Le Grand Divorce entre le ciel et la terre (Delachaux and Niestlé, 1947; reprinted by Raphaël in 1998), then under the title L'Autobus du paradis (Cerf, 1980); available today at Empreinte temps présent (L'Autobus du paradis, April 2025).
Till We Have Faces (Till We Have Faces, 1956) : Lewis's favorite novel, the myth of Psyche told by her sister. Published in French under the title Un visage pour l'éternité (L'Âge d'Homme, 1995), Le Livre de poche (2007); also translated under the title Tant que nous n'aurons pas de visage (Alain Carrière, 2011). Now out of print.
Screwtape Proposes a Toast (Screwtape Proposes a Toast, 1959) : published in French under the title Démo(n)cratiquement vôtre (EBV/Brunnen, Basel, 1985), including seven other texts, such as « Le Poids de gloire », « Transposition » and « Le Petit Cirque »; reprinted at Empreinte temps présent (April 2025) under the title Démo[n]cratiquement vôtre. Screwtape porte un toast… et autres textes.
The Dark Tower and Other Stories (The Dark Tower and Other Stories, 1977; posthumous, authenticity long debated) : published in French under the title La Tour noire et autres histoires (Antigone14, 2020, trans. Bertrand Augier).
Boxen [not translated] (Boxen, 1985; youth works, posthumous)

Apologetics

The Problem of Pain (The Problem of Pain, 1940) : translated in 1950 by Marguerite Faguer (Desclée de Brouwer), reprinted by Raphaël (2001); available at Pierre Téqui (2020, trans. Denis Ducatel).
Mere Christianity (Mere Christianity, 1952) : LLB since 1985 (trans. Aimé Viala, reprinted at least until 2013); previous French titles Être ou ne pas être : le christianisme est-il facile ou difficile ? (only part 4, Delachaux and Niestlé, 1948, trans. Jacques Blondel) and Voilà pourquoi je suis chrétien (LLB, 1979).
Miracles (Miracles, 1947) : first published in French under the title Les Miracles : étude préliminaire (S.P.B., 1985, trans. Jacques Blondel); new translation by Suzanne Bray and Daniel Verheyde, available at Empreinte temps présent (2018).
The Abolition of Man (The Abolition of Man, 1943)

Spirituality

Reflections on the Psalms (Reflections on the Psalms, 1958) : first translation published by Raphaël (1999); available at Empreinte temps présent (2020).
The Four Loves (The Four Loves, 1960) : love, affection, friendship, charity. First translation published by Raphaël (2005, trans. Denis Ducatel); available at Pierre Téqui (August 2019, trans. Denis Ducatel and Jean-Léon Müller).
Letters to Malcolm (Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, 1964) : first published in French under the title Si Dieu écoutait : lettres à Malcolm sur la prière (Delachaux and Niestlé, 1970), then Lettres à Malcolm : principalement sur la prière (Raphaël, 2000, trans. Denis Ducatel). Now out of print.
A Grief Observed (A Grief Observed, 1961) : Lewis's journal of grief after the death of Joy, published under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk. Cerf (1974, trans. Jean Prignaud and Timothy Radcliffe; reprinted 2019). A free translation, Un chagrin passionné, is also available online from Samizdat (Quebec, 2016).

Essays

The Weight of Glory (The Weight of Glory, 1941/1949) : the sermon that gives its title to the collection was translated in Démo(n)cratiquement vôtre (EBV/Brunnen, Basel, 1985, trans. Étienne Huser).
God in the Dock (God in the Dock, 1970; posthumous) : a collection first published in French under the title Dieu au banc des accusés (EBV/Brunnen, Basel and Paris, 1982, trans. Astrid and Étienne Huser), then by Raphaël (2010); available today at Empreinte temps présent (2020).
The World's Last Night [The World's Last Night] (1960) : no French translation listed for the collection; three of its seven essays can be read in French in Démo(n)cratiquement vôtre (EBV, Basel, 1985): « Démo(n)cratiquement vôtre », « Faith and Obstinacy » and « Good Work and Good Works ».
Of Other Worlds [Of Other Worlds, not translated] (Of Other Worlds, 1966; essays and stories, posthumous)

Literary Criticism

L'Allégorie de l'amour [L'Allegory of Love, not translated] (1936)
Préface au Paradis perdu [A Preface to Paradise Lost, not translated] (1942)
La Littérature anglaise au XVIe siècle [English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, not translated] (1954)
Études sur les mots [Studies in Words, not translated] (1960)
Expérience de critique littéraire (An Experiment in Criticism, 1961) : Cerf (1965, trans. Jean Autret); Lewis's only book of literary criticism translated into French, now out of print.
L'Image du monde [The Discarded Image, not translated] (1964) : the key to medieval cosmology, and therefore to Narnia's cosmology.
L'Hérésie personnelle [The Personal Heresy, not translated] (1939, with E.M.W. Tillyard)

Poetry

Spirits in Bondage [Esprits captifs, not translated] (1919, under the name of Clive Hamilton)
Dymer [Dymer, not translated] (1926, under the name of Clive Hamilton)
Poems [Poèmes, not translated] (1964, posthumous)
Narrative Poems [non traduit] (1969, posthumous)

Autobiography

Surprised by Joy (Surprised by Joy, 1955) : Lewis's autobiography up to his conversion in 1931. Cerf (1964, trans. Marie Tadié), then Raphaël (1998, trans. Denis Ducatel, reprinted around 2006). Now out of print, to be found second-hand.

Diary

Journal 1922-1927 [All My Road Before Me, not translated] (1991, posthumous)

Correspondence

Letters to Children (C.S. Lewis's Letters to Children, 1985; posthumous) : Pierre Téqui, 2020, trans. Denis Ducatel.
Letters to an American Lady [Letters to an American Lady] (1967) : no French translation listed in major catalogues.
Correspondence complète [The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, 3 vol., not translated] (2000-2006)

Other

Causeries radiophoniques [Broadcast Talks, not translated] (1942) : the first two series of Lewis's BBC talks, reprinted in 1952 in Mere Christianity (Les Fondements du christianisme).
Arthurian Torso [Arthurian Torso, not translated] (1948, with Charles Williams)

Publishers and translators: the role of French-speaking Switzerland

Many of Lewis's works reached French readers through French-speaking Switzerland: Delachaux and Niestlé in Neuchâtel starting in 1943, EBV (Brunnen) in Basel during the 1980s, and then Raphaël Éditions in Mont-Pèlerin, above Vevey, from 1998 to 2010. Their director, Denis Ducatel, has also translated at least seven of Lewis's books: Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms, The Abolition of Man, Letters to Malcolm and The Four Loves published by Raphaël, then Le Problème de la souffrance and Letters to Children published by Pierre Téqui (2020). In December 2005, the former blog relayed an interview with Denis Ducatel on Lewis's life, broadcast by Radio Réveil; the recording has not been preserved. He was also one of the guests on the 2005 Narnia radio shows, and our page Que lire de Lewis après Narnia revisits the role of this publisher.

In brief

Each of the above titles has its detailed sheet (context, reception, French editions, links with Narnia) sorted by family on the page His works:

Narnia : The Chronicles of Narnia
Romans and stories : The Pilgrim's Regress · Out of the Silent Planet · Perelandra · That Hideous Strength · The Screwtape Letters · The Great Divorce · Boxen
Apologetics and spirituality : The Problem of Pain · Miracles · Mere Christianity · Reflections on the Psalms · The Four Loves · Letters to Malcolm
Essays : The Abolition of Man · The Weight of Glory · Of Other Worlds · God in the Dock
Poetry : Esprits captifs · Dymer · Poems · Narrative Poems
Autobiography : Surprised by Joy · A Grief Observed · Journal 1922-1957
Correspondence : Letters to Children · Letters to an American Lady

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Works —

Le Monde de Narnia (the seven Chronicles) — genre: Narnia — comment: British publications: 16.10.1950, 15.10.1951, 15.09.1952, 07.09.1953, 06.09.1954 (Geoffrey Bles); 02.05.1955, 19.03.1956 (The Bodley Head).
Le Retour du pèlerin — genre: Fiction — fr title: The Pilgrim's Regress [Le Retour du pèlerin, not published in French] — en title: The Pilgrim's Regress — year: 1933
Au-delà de la planète silencieuse — genre: Fiction — fr title: Out of the Silent Planet — en title: Out of the Silent Planet — year: 1938 — comment: The Silence of the Earth (trad. M. Faguer, 1952); The Cosmic Trilogy (L'Âge d'Homme, 1997); Folio SF (2008); out of print.
Perelandra — genre: Fiction — fr title: Perelandra — en title: Perelandra — year: 1943
Cette hideuse puissance — genre: Fiction — fr title: That Hideous Strength — en title: That Hideous Strength — year: 1945
Tactique du diable — genre: Fiction — fr title: The Screwtape Letters — en title: The Screwtape Letters — year: 1942 — comment: The best starting point outside Narnia, witty and profound. First translation: Delachaux et Niestlé, 1943; available from Empreinte temps présent (2010).
Le Grand Divorce — genre: Fiction — fr title: The Great Divorce — en title: The Great Divorce — year: 1945 — comment: A bus that connects a gray town to the outskirts of paradise. Delachaux et Niestlé (1947), Raphaël (1998); under the title L'Autobus du paradis: Cerf (1980), Empreinte temps présent (2025).
Un visage pour l'éternité — genre: Fiction — fr title: Till We Have Faces — en title: Till We Have Faces — year: 1956 — comment: Lewis's favorite novel, the myth of Psyche told by his sister. L'Âge d'Homme (1995), Livre de poche (2007); other translation: Tant que nous n'aurons pas de visage (2011).
Démo(n)cratiquement vôtre — genre: Fiction — fr title: Screwtape Proposes a Toast — en title: Screwtape Proposes a Toast — year: 1959 — comment: EBV, Bâle, 1985, translated by Étienne Huser, with seven other texts (including The Weight of Glory); out of print.
La Tour noire et autres histoires — genre: Fiction — fr title: The Dark Tower and Other Stories — en title: The Dark Tower and Other Stories — year: 1977 — comment: Antigone14, 2020, translated by Bertrand Augier.
Boxen — genre: Fiction — fr title: Boxen [not translated] (youth works, posthumous) — en title: Boxen — year: 1985
Le Problème de la souffrance — genre: Apologetics — fr title: The Problem of Pain — en title: The Problem of Pain — year: 1940 — comment: Desclée de Brouwer (1950, trad. M. Faguer); Raphaël (2001); Pierre Téqui (2019, translated by D. Ducatel).
Les Fondements du christianisme — genre: Apologetics — fr title: Mere Christianity — en title: Mere Christianity — year: 1952 — comment: LLB since 1985 (reprints until at least 2013); previously: Être ou ne pas être (partial, 1948), Voilà pourquoi je suis chrétien (1979).
Miracles — genre: Apologetics — fr title: Miracles — en title: Miracles — year: 1947 — comment: Les Miracles (S.P.B., 1985, trad. J. Blondel); Empreinte temps présent (2018, translated by S. Bray and D. Verheyde).
L'Abolition de l'homme — genre: Apologetics — fr title: The Abolition of Man — en title: The Abolition of Man — year: 1943
Réflexions sur les Psaumes — genre: Spirituality — fr title: Reflections on the Psalms — en title: Reflections on the Psalms — year: 1958 — comment: Raphaël (1999); Empreinte temps présent (2020).
Les Quatre Amours — genre: Spirituality — fr title: The Four Loves — en title: The Four Loves — year: 1960 — comment: Affection, Friendship, Eros, Charity. Raphaël (2005, first translation); Pierre Téqui (2019).
Lettres à Malcolm — genre: Spirituality — fr title: Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer — en title: Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer — year: 1964 — comment: Si Dieu écoutait (Delachaux et Niestlé, 1970); Lettres à Malcolm: chiefly on prayer (Raphaël, 2000); out of print.
Apprendre la mort — genre: Spirituality — fr title: A Grief Observed — en title: A Grief Observed — year: 1961 — comment: Lewis's grief journal after Joy's death, first published under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk. Cerf (1974; reprint 2019). Online translation: Un chagrin passionné (Samizdat, 2016).
Le Poids de gloire — genre: Essays — fr title: The Weight of Glory — en title: The Weight of Glory — year: 1941/1949 — comment: Sermon included in Broadcast Talks (EBV/Brunnen, Basel, 1985, translated by Étienne Huser).
Dieu au banc des accusés — genre: Essays — fr title: God in the Dock — en title: God in the Dock — year: 1970 — comment: Selection EBV/Brunnen (1982); Raphaël (2010); Empreinte temps présent (2020).
Autres recueils d'essais — genre: Essays — fr title: The World's Last Night — en title: The World's Last Night — year: 1960
D'autres mondes : essais et histoires — genre: Essays — fr title: Of Other Worlds [not translated] (essays and stories, posthumous) — en title: Of Other Worlds — year: 1966
L'Allégorie de l'amour — genre: Literary criticism — fr title: The Allegory of Love [not translated] — en title: The Allegory of Love — year: 1936
Préface au Paradis perdu — genre: Literary criticism — fr title: A Preface to Paradise Lost [not translated] — en title: A Preface to Paradise Lost — year: 1942
La Littérature anglaise au XVIe siècle — genre: Literary criticism — fr title: English Literature in the Sixteenth Century [not translated] — en title: English Literature in the Sixteenth Century — year: 1954
Études sur les mots — genre: Literary criticism — fr title: Studies in Words [not translated] — en title: Studies in Words — year: 1960
Expérience de critique littéraire — genre: Literary criticism — fr title: An Experiment in Criticism — en title: An Experiment in Criticism — year: 1961 — comment: Gallimard, 1965, translated by Jean Autret; out of print.
L'Image du monde — genre: Literary criticism — fr title: The Discarded Image — en title: The Discarded Image — year: 1964 — comment: The key to medieval cosmology, and thus to Narnia's cosmology.
La Tour noire — genre: Literary criticism — fr title: The Dark Tower [not translated] (with E.M.W. Tillyard) — en title: The Dark Tower — year: 1939
Esprits captifs — genre: Poetry — fr title: Spirits in Bondage [not translated] (under the name of Clive Hamilton) — en title: Spirits in Bondage — year: 1919
Dymer — genre: Poetry — fr title: Dymer [not translated] — en title: Dymer — year: 1926
Surpris par la joie — genre: Poetry — fr title: Poems [not translated] (posthumous) — en title: Poems — year: 1964
Poèmes — genre: Poetry — fr title: Narrative Poems [not translated] (posthumous) — en title: Narrative Poems — year: 1969
Surprised by Joy — genre: Autobiography — fr title: Surprised by Joy — en title: Surprised by Joy — year: 1955 — comment: Lewis's autobiography up to his conversion in 1931. Seuil (1964); Raphaël (1998); out of print, secondhand.
Journal 1922-1927 — genre: Diary — fr title: All My Road Before Me [not translated] (posthumous) — en title: All My Road Before Me — year: 1991
Lettres du pays de Narnia : C.S. Lewis écrit aux enfants — genre: Correspondence — fr title: C.S. Lewis' Letters to Children — en title: C.S. Lewis' Letters to Children — year: 1985 — comment: Pierre Téqui, 2020.
Lettres à une Américaine — genre: Correspondence — fr title: Letters to an American Lady [not translated] — en title: Letters to an American Lady — year: 1967
Correspondance complète — genre: Correspondence — fr title: The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis [3 volumes, not translated] — en title: Collected Letters — year: 2000-2006

note — note: path to the detailed file of the work (lewis-works/<slug>) ; absent when the title has no detailed file.

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