The Schopenhauer cure : a novel / Irvin D. Yalom.
Publication details: Carlton North, Vic. : Scribe Publications, 2008.Edition: New editionDescription: viii, 358 p. ; 21 cmISBN:- 0066214416
- 1921215720 (pbk.)
- 0060938102
- 9781921215728 (pbk.) :
- 813.54 22
- PT2603.Y9 2008
Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item reserves | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Book | Melbourne Athenaeum Library | Fiction | YAL | Available | 071070 |
Previously published: 2005.
Includes bibliographical references.
Julius Hertzfeld is a distinguished psychotherapist when a sudden confrontation with his own mortality forces him to re-examine his life and work. Has he really made an enduring difference to the lives of his patients? And what about those he's failed - what has happened to them? His attempt to make sense of the past places him on a collision course with former patient Philip Slate a handsome but arrogant and misanthropic sex addict whom he had treated, unsuccessfully, 23 years before. In a profound challenge to Julius's professional status, Philip claims to have cured himself by reading the works of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Furthermore, he has become a philosophical counsellor, and asks Julius to act as his professional supervisor in order to obtain a license to practise. Reluctantly, Julius agrees, and they strike a Faustian bargain - one which threatens to undermine his career and the well-being of his patients, but also brings with it the potential for extraordinary personal change through a unique combination of psychotherapy and philosophy.