Suddenly confronted with his own mortality after a routine checkup, eminent psychotherapist Julius Hertzfeld is forced to reexamine his life and work -- and seeks out Philip Slate, a sex addict whom he failed to help some twenty years earlier. Yet Philip claims to be cured -- miraculously transformed by the pessimistic teachings of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer -- and is, himself, a philosophical counselor in training. Philips dour, misanthropic stance compels Julius to invite Philip to join his intensive therapy group in exchange for tutoring on Schopenhauer. But with mere months left, life may be far too short to help Philip or to compete with him for the hearts and minds of the group members. And then again, it might be just long enough.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Very thought provoking
"The Schopenhauer Cure," is a lively work of fiction centering around eight people in a group therapy setting. It's about a psychologist who, upon learning that he has terminal cancer, contacts a former ... Read More
Rating: - Two ways of confronting the problems of relationships
Yalom is a psychotherapist who practises not only individual but also group therapy, and this novel is about the situation in a group therapy setting. After Julius Hertzfeld, the therapist, has been diagnosed ... Read More
Rating: - A pleasure to read
First, I'm a big fan of Schopenhauer and I'll read anything with the word Schopenhauer in a sentence! I had never heard of Dr. Yalom but I was pleasantly surprised by his style, the plot and tidbits from Schopenhauer's ... Read More
Rating: - OK--but there are better books on Schopenhauer
I'll confine myself to some comments directly related to Schopenhauer, although I realize Yalom's book is larger and more complex than that.
I confess to being a fan of Yalom's. "Love's Executioner" and "Existential ... Read More
Rating: - Death and values
This book explores values and life in an unconventional way: through the use of a group therapy context. In that group, there is a character, Phillip, who represents the philosopher Schopenhauer. Once the premise of the book is established, ... Read More
- Very thought provoking
- OK--but there are better books on Schopenhauer