A Grief Observed

This slim volume was originally published in 1961 under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk. In the days following his wife Joy’s death in July 1960, Lewis recorded his grieving process in several school notebooks--intended for personal use, not publication. A few close friends, such as Sister Penelope, recognized his writing style and agreed to keeping his authorship private. In 1964, after Lewis’s death, A Grief Observed was issued under his own name.

Throughout the book, Lewis refers to Joy as “H.” Her full name was Helen Joy. The book is in four sections, which correspond to the four school exercise tablets in which he wrote his journal.

Read Chad Walsh’s “Afterward” if you like. Most of it is biographical material on Lewis. The last 15 pages, however, pertain to Jack and Joy’s marriage and provide background for A Grief Observed.  

Personal Preparation:  An optional, private exercise you may wish to do before delving into the book is to make a timeline of your own experience with loss and grief. Loss takes a variety of forms. Not every loss involves a death. Referring to the section in the handout called “Categories of Loss,” make a chronological list of significant losses you have experienced. Reflecting on your losses may cause Lewis’ words to resonate more deeply.