When Nietzsche Wept

Believing that each patient's story is unique and that different therapy should be applied to each patient, psychiatrist Irvin D. Yalom blends fiction with reality in his novel When Nietzsche Wept , which was first published in 1992, is widely read and loved all over the world and also bears traces of his own life story. While telling an unforgettable story about the healing power of friendship, Yalom welcomes his readers to 19th century Vienna, the period when psychoanalysis was in its infancy and to the intellectual circles of those years. Friedrich Nietzsche, a philosopher with only two published books, unknown to anyone and extremely poor, one day crosses paths with Josef Breuer, a wealthy and respected character who managed to become the doctor of many artists and thinkers while still in the prime of his youth. Nietzsche's friend, Lou Salomé, a young and beautiful woman, has an undeniable role in this; she thinks that no one else but Breuer can be the cure for Nietzsche's loneliness, hopelessness and illnesses. And she is right. But it is not that easy. Nietzsche not only refuses help but also denies that he is sick. Although the process is difficult, their journey progresses slowly with “talking therapies”. Not only Nietzsche but also Breuer finds solace in these sessions. The talented doctor, who confronts his own demonic aspects, can only then find the power to heal his patient. During this time, Breuer also frequently meets with his close friend and student Sigmund Freud and shares the treatment methods and process he applies. In these “talking therapy” sessions, where you witness Nietzsche’s thoughts coming together with psychoanalysis, you will both enter into deep questions about life and confront yourself. This novel of thought, which was first published in Turkish in 1996 and has been taking its readers on a journey of questioning the human mind and life since then, is now back with its Turkish translation by academician and translator Esra Birkan.