Trotzdem Ja zum Leben sagen

by Viktor E. Frankl

No cover — Viktor E. Frankl: Trotzdem Ja zum Leben sagen (German language, 1947, Deuticke)

90 pages

German language

Published Oct. 23, 1947 by Deuticke.

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience and the stories of his patients, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. At the heart of his theory, known as logotherapy, is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful. Man's Search for Meaning has become one of the most influential books in America; it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living.

45 editions

Joel Reads Books reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

None

4 stars

A great and very interesting book about the author story about surviving Auschwitz and his search for meaning. Just reading about what he has experienced in the concentration camps & how he dealt with his mental health, it's very fascinating and insightful.

(I've read the story, but I not fully read the afterwords, the language after the "main" part is complicated to understand)

Nonethenless it's a great book!

brunosan reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Review of "Man's Search for Meaning" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The first part reminded me of the book "Night" (1960) by Elie Wiesel. Both are very important books to understand the intentisty and brutalism of concentration camps.

The second part explains the basis of Logotherapy, whose basis is the human´s will to meaning. In that sense it remined me of the book "Punished by rewards".

Moorlock reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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4 stars

"Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.... Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!"

Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Review of "Man's Search for Meaning" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

There isn't much I can add about the effects of reading this book/essay. As I digested the horrors of the holocaust through the eyes of Viktor Frankl, a man determined to understand why humans strive for life despite enduring an enormous amount of suffering, I was struck by several thoughts.

The first, was how rhetorically effective his essay used a seamless integration of personal anecdote and thesis statement. I hardly knew I was reading an argument in support of logotherapy until the book was complete. I had never heard of Frankl's will to meaning psychology and I found it, well, meaningful.

The second thought that occurred to me was how I even came to read this book in the first place. It was honestly pretty random. It had been on my list of books to read, something formulated many years ago - so long I have no idea what inspired its inclusion - and I decided to pick it up because it seemed the right length for my mood. Well it turns out my subconscious has been assembling a fantastic little seminar on the literature of epiphany. My recent sequence of books all constellate around epiphanic moment (or their notable lack): Three Pillars of Zen, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Charles Baxter's essay Against Epiphanies in Burning Down the House, and now this, a book that sets out to formalize the mechanics of epiphany into a system of psychology that starts with the assertion that humans are foremost driven by a search for meaning.

I'll need to write something more significant to synthesize the interactions between these books but it's all there. I seem to be in the midst of profound study and I'm only just now aware of it. Perhaps this is my epiphany.

takky6445 reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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5 stars

A must read for all those struggling with life and a unique case study of life in concentration camps.

DaveNash3 reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Review of "Man's Search for Meaning" on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

it's more important than ever to read this book. finding meaning in suffering and living for a purpose instead of pleasure is sage advice. also there are only two types of people - decent and indecent.

sirodoht reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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No rating

“Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!"

nekokat reviewed Man's search for meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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5 stars

Surprisingly inspirational and thought-provoking.

surya reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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5 stars

Very book.
This book actually helps us get closer to the meaning of life.

Yukari reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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5 stars

Most important thing to live a happy life? - Attitude.

markm reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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4 stars

Victor Frankl's idea is not a new one, but his life experiences and his explanation of his logotherapy are moving and helpful. I don't know if he provides a completely satisfactory counter-argument to someone like Camus, whom I also admire greatly, and I suppose one's personal philosophy of life has a piece added to it every time another great philosopher is encountered.
It would be presumptuous of me to attempt to summarize Dr. Frankl's life study and many publications in any simple way, but isn't that what the internet is for (besides pornography)? So here it is. Add the following three quotations, song lyric and Jewish myth together for an approximation of Frankl's philosophy.

1."A high station in life is earned by the gallantry with which appalling experiences are survived with grace." Tennessee Williams

2. "It is never by chance that one takes the dishonorable way." Albert Camus.

3. "The …

ToadyNerd reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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3 stars

While the 1st half of the book was very interesting, the second half, where he explains his theories was just too dry for me.

Eduardo Santiago reviewed Man's search for meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Review of "Man's search for meaning" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Humbling. Powerful. I wonder who I'd be if I'd read this thirty years ago? This feels like the sort of book that has a small window of opportunity for affecting a life: read it too young, and it won't really make sense. Too old, and by then you've found your own answers (if you're lucky) or still not get it and never will.

I recommend erring on the read-it-young side. It seems like a useful part of one's growing-up toolkit.

outofrange reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

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5 stars

This book has held up well over half a century, tackling the unanswerable question with the authority and pragmatism of a survivor of four concentration camps. Of course I started it thinking "Really?", but it won me over with insights that feel immediately applicable to my own life, which I feel has been slowly shifting from the pursuit of means to meaning over the years. Don't get scared off by part II if you read it - that's where the practical information is.

ThomD reviewed Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Review of "Man's Search for Meaning" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The first half of the book is a bit rough (it details Frankl's time in multiple concentration camps). The second halve of the book is truly inspiring. I would go as far as to say that this book has caused me to change my outlook upon what is means to live with gratefulness and compassion in your life.