Man's Search For Meaning

OVER 16 MILLION COPIES SOLD One of the seminal pieces of literature to emerge from World War 2, this is the moving true story of psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl's time as a prisoner in Auschwitz and what we can learn from his experience. 'A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive' John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas In 1942, just months after marrying his wife, Viktor Frankl and his family were sent, first to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, and then to Auschwitz. A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Frankle was uniquely able to observe the way that he and other inmates coped with the experience of being in in the notorious concentration camp. He noticed that it was those who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. He noticed that the sort of person a prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone - only those who allowed their hold on their moral and spiritual selves to subside eventually fell victim to the camp's degenerating influence, while those who made a victory of those experiences turned them into an inner triumph. Through his experiences, Frankl came to believe that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding and inspiring work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living. Praise for Man's Search for Meaning: 'Remarkable...It changed my life and became a part of all that I live and all that I teach.' Susan Jeffers, bestselling author of Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway 'An enduring work of survival literature.' New York Times 'Every human being should read it.' Simon Sinek, bestselling author of Start With Why 'One of the moral heroes of the 20th century...His works are essential reading for those who seek to understand the human condition.' Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks 'If you read but one book this year, Dr Frankl's book should be that one.' Los Angeles Times

Viktor Frankl was born in Vienna in 1905 and was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. His wife, father, mother and brother all died in Nazi concentration camps, only he and his sister survived, but he never lost the qualities of compassion, loyalty, undaunted spirit and thirst for life (earning his pilot's licence aged 67). He died in Vienna in 1997.