C. S. Lewis reworks the timeless myth of Cupid and Psyche into an enduring piece of contemporary fiction in this novel about the struggle between sacred and profane love. Set in the pre-Christian world of Glome on the outskirts of Greek civilization, it is a tale of two princesses: the beautiful Psyche, who is loved by the god of love himself, and Orual, Psyche’s unattractive and embittered older sister, who loves Psyche with a destructive possessiveness. Her frustration and jealousy over Psyche’s fate sets Orual on the troubled path of self-discovery. Lewis’s last work of fiction, this is often considered his best by critics.

CLIVE STAPLES LEWIS (1898–1963) was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was educated at Oxford. From 1955 to 1963 he was professor of medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge. His prolific published works include influential literary criticism, classic science fiction and fantasy, and a number of exceptional theological books.