Amazon.com: Customer reviews: When Nietzsche Wept

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Learning To Love One's Life

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 28, 2008

Irvin Yalom is a psychiatrist with a deep interest in philosophy. In works of fiction and non-fiction he has tried to combine these two disciplines for the insights they may jointly offer to people. "When Nietzsche Wept" (1992) is probably Yalom's most successful novel. In his book, Yalom imagines a lengthy encounter between Josef Breuer (1842-1925), a Viennese physician who, among other accomplishments helped found psychoanalysis, and the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.(1844 -1900)

Yalom's story is subtitled "A Novel of Obsession". Both Nietzsche and Breuer are obsessed with a woman and with sexuality, as well as with their own loneliness, and their attempts to understand themselves and find meaning in their lives. The book is set in Vienna in 1882. Breuer, age 40, and highly successful has ended the doctor-patient relationship with a woman in her early twenties, Bertha O., with whom he has been sexually obsessed. Breuer has been using talk-therapy with Bertha, the first time this technique had been attempted. Breuer has been neglecting his wife, Mathilde, and their five children over his obsession with Bertha and with his heavy commitments to his medical practice and research.

While Breuer and Mathilde are on a brief holiday, Breuer is approached by the young, beautiful and highly self-willed Lou Salome who asks Breuer to help cure the suicidal tendencies of her friend and teacher Nietzsche. Nietzsche had, in fact, fallen in love with Salome, proposed to her, and been rejected. He is deeply despondent and, indeed, suicidal, and suffers from migraine headaches.

The first half of the book details how Breuer and Nietzsche make contact and shows their initial testy relationship. In the second part of the book, Breuer persuades a highly reluctant Nietzsche to enter a clinic for a short stay, where Breuer will attempt to cure Nietzsche's migraines and Nietzsche, in turn, will offer philosophical counseling to Breuer to try to help the physician understand his life, his obsession with Bertha, and his feelings about Mathilde.

In the course of their discussions, Breuer and Nietzsche gradually become friends and reveal some of their innermost feelings to each other. Both men share a deep skepticism towards religion, with Nietzsche famous for his aphorism, "God is dead". In Yalom's book, Nietzsche explains that the goal of his thought is to find meaning in live rather than nihilism or despair in the face of the denial of theism. In the course of the book, the reader learns a great deal about Nietzsche's thought, with portions of his imaginary conversations with Breuer taken extensively from his writings.

Through his conversations with Nietzsche, Breuer comes to learn something of his fear of dying and of purposelessness, and, with great strain, he frees himself of his obsession with Bertha. Nietzsche comes to understand Breuer, and he learns something of his relationship to Lou Salome. He recognizes more fully than he had done earlier the loneliness of his path in life, but he also recognizes his need for affection and friendship with others. Nietzsche, with this new understanding, determines to follow through with the course he has set himself. When the book concludes, Nietzsche is about to begin writing his masterwork, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra".

Yalom's book explores two difficult ideas of Nietzsche's: the doctrine of eternal recurrence and the, for Nietzsche, closely related injunction: "amor fati" -- to love one's fate or one's life. With moments of trepidation and some highly surprising twists in the story Breuer, and Nietzsche too, learn to love their respective lives.

Yalom's book is an imaginative creation of the birth of "talk therapy" and it shows the relationship between philosophical concerns and the concrete issues of individuals that are explored in psychotherapy. In addition to its portrayals of the two major characters, Yalom offers good portrayals of the young Sigmund Freud, a student and friend of Breuer, of Lou Salome, and of fictitious characters such as Breuer's long-suffering friend Max and Breuer's coachman, Fischmann.

Yalom has written a compelling philosophical novel about Nietzsche which helps show the impact Nietszche's thinking continues to exert on many readers. The book may encourage readers to explore Nietzsche's difficult thought for themselves. In its own right, Yalom's book may help people think in a new way about their lives and to work towards "amor fati" --- living one's life so that one may understand, shape, and embrace one's destiny.

Robin Friedman

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Talia Carner

Nonsesical "talking heads"

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 27, 2006

The premise of Yalom's novel is interesting: Get two of the most innovative thinkers of modern times to meet. And then what? Friederich Nietzsche and Josef Breuer--the father of modern philosophy and the father of modern psychoanalysis (and a friend of the young Freud) had never met in life. But what if they had?

I would have expected some new, explosive ideology to burst out of this fictional years-long relationship. Sort of 1 + 1 = 3. But this is not the case beyond some personal epiphanies. No new discipline emerges.

Furthermore, in exploring each character, Yalom regurgitates their respective theories, while failing to move into the realm of new intellectual challenge either one of them might have presented to the other. Many of the "truths" the characters cite have, by now, become so common knowledge that they sound nonsensical. On rare occasions the novel brings some forgotten, interesting statement--mostly from Nietzsche--but not enough to spend time with 300 pages of talking heads.

In the years I was honing my writing skills at writing workshops, not a single page of Yalom's dialogues would have passed a writing instructor's scrutiny. It would have been dismissed for its amateurishness, and the author would have been taught the basics of "show, don't tell." Yet, Yalom gives the reader a book-length uninterrupted flow of stilted lecturing. The dialogue lines lack tension, characterization--and certainly fail to move the story forward, which are the must ingredients for good, compelling dialogue.

Which brings me to the underlining flaw of this work: The flimsy plot. In the first 100 pages, nothing happens from "scene" to "scene" because these are really not scenes, each with a beginning, a middle and an end, but rather sections of text. They lie flat, with little development other than more information parted to the reader. When things finally move, they are slow and predictable.

A good novel can take the reader into a new world of ideology and intellectual thinking by placing the characters in situations where these theories can be examined under the pressure of events. It is called dramatization.

It is astonishing that Yalom's book has gone this far (reprinted by Harper Collins in their Perennial Classics series.) I hope that future writers do not take their cue from this dubious literary success.

Talia Carner, author,
Puppet Child and China Doll

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From the United States

NJ-Bill

I give the author great credit for accomplishing a book that I would even ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 17, 2016

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For some reason I'm just struggling to get through this. Everytime I want to just put it down, I get curious about the ending and keep plowing though. But that's what it is: plowing. Although, as a mere want-to-be author myself, I give the author great credit for accomplishing a book that I would even care enough to purchase, let alone briefly review.

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G. Sorin

Teaching Novel? An Oxymoron

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 5, 2013

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In order for the eminent psychotherapist Irvin Yalom to intentionally "teach" through fiction he seems to have had to use way too much dialogue, and lots of repetition. We really get to know only two characters over the course of the book. Nietzsche and Joseph Breuer. Freud makes a cameo appearance, but seems to be used only as a teaching tool, and Wagner is mentioned but is not part of the story. What's that about? We might want fiction to "teach," but non-didactically and with a lot more subtlety.

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Amazon Customer

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 22, 2017

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Calmly amusing, low intensity, a bit humorous...a quick read...

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Roxanne Harris

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 9, 2015

WHAT

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 16, 2017

Written by an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford, one assumes the discussions about psychiatric issues, which constitute nearly the entirety of this book, are scientifically valid. Indeed, I had the feeling throughout the book that it was about to say something really important, something that could be life-changing. But that revelation never materialized. The Big Message, attributed mostly to Nietzsche but shared by Josef Breuer, the protagonist of the book, is that we must choose our lives and not let our lives choose us. Sounds deep, if rather enigmatic, but in the end what it means is that when psychiatric treatment fails, it is the patient’s fault.

There is another problem with this novel, which is perhaps a problem with the entire enterprise, by which I mean the enterprise of psychotherapy, and that is that it is a very expensive procedure, often taking months and even years of treatment with no cure in sight, necessarily designed to treat the ills of the very rich, for who else can afford the tariff? Breuer is identified as an eminent physician in late 19th century Vienna who, in addition to his ample income, enjoys the wealth of his extremely wealthy wife. He has everything most of us would want: wealth, job satisfaction, a loving and healthy family; yet he contrives to be miserable, and we are supposed to sympathize with these trials and tribulations of the superrich. This is the theme of many novels, plays, and movies, and can be rather off-putting to the rest of us who have neither the time for these vapors nor the money to fund the protracted treatments depicted.

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Kacy Wilson

Intellect Meets Emotion - Welcome to Irvin Yalom's World

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 4, 2002

I should start off with why this historical novel only gets three stars even though it had a deep impact on me personally at the time I read it. Yalom is at best a semi-compelling novelist. He is a gifted psychologist (both academically and as a therapist), but his style of writing can be a bit dry (or maybe its the subject matter) so I had to deduct one star for his limited skills as a writer of fiction.
As with many meaningful books, this book has a small but loyal audience rather than having mass appeal. Given that Yalom is far from a giant in the literary world, I imagine the majority of the people who consider reading this book will have either a powerful interest in psychology (especially psychoanalysis) or a powerful interest in modern philosophy (especially the existential variety). Ideally, they will have at least, a healthy curiosity about both topics. I deducted the other star because I don't think this book will appeal to the "philosophy lovers" (redundant, n'est ce, pas?), particularly those oriented toward the work of Nietzsche, if they don't have that healthy curiosity about psychology. Although Yalom gives a very interesting interpretation of what Nietzsche's emotional make-up and what the nuances of his writing indicate about him personally, this is not a biography, nor a new take on Nietzsche. Anyone familiar with Nietzsche's biography will not be surprise by this novel, and at best will be amused at the dramatic license that Yalom takes in putting Nietzsche in a situation that never occurred. But if you consider yourself more inclined towards the psychological than the philosophical or biographical, then I would rate this book a four star read for you.
As stated before, When Nietzsche Wept is an historical novel. The main characters are of course Frederich Nietzsche and Dr. Josef Breuer, who stumbled across the psychoanalytic talking cure most closely associated with Sigmund Freud, who was Breuer's informal understudy, contemporary, and friend. Sigmund Freud plays a supporting role in the novel as well as Lou Salome (the lover who spurned Nietzsche's love and probably acted as the catalyst for his most prolific writing period) and Anna O. (appearing in the novel as Bertha, Breuer's patient whom he treated for hysteria). Of course all of these people are key players in the intellectual movement taking place in the late nineteenth century in Europe. But the meeting of Breuer and Nietzsche, while plausible, is a fabrication of Yalom, a springboard that allows him to explore one of his favorite subjects: existential philosophy.
It is obvious from Yalom's body of more academic work that he is a champion of the traditional psychoanalytic process. The key word is process, because Yalom uses this novel as a kind of `textbook example' of the psychoanalytic process. Note that Yalom is not interested in diagnosing mental illnesses from the DSM-IV and the like. He is of the thinking that just about all of us are suffering from some burning question: philosophical questions, morbid questions, existential questions. Yalom paints Breuer as the classic type A successful middle-aged man who finds himself having a midlife crisis. Its obvious that where Yalom portrays a large chunk of himself with Breuer: especially the bumbling and neurotic nature of that Breuer exemplifies in the novel. Yalom paints Nietzsche as a long-suffering intellectual attempting to completely detach himself from himself emotionally. In the course of the book, both men haphazardly stumble across emotional awakenings and enlightenments through the psychoanalytic process that they don't even realize they are involved in. Breuer's character muses throughout his and Nietzsche's treatment about the future implications of what he is discovering. The novel doesn't have a surprise ending or a gut-wrenching plotline. Just like Greek tragedies, you know how this one will turn out early on in the novel, but the enjoyment comes from watching the way things unfold.
It has been said about psychoanalysis that in order for the process one must have time to waste, even though each moment is an important step in the journey that has no definite ending or conclusion. Some will argue that this book unrealistically turns into a Fantasy Island episode in that it quickly ties up neatly at the end with everyone changed from their lessons and optimistic about the future given their new experiences. In truth, the psychoanalytic process is much slower and sporadic (kind of like a drunk staggering to his home...the steps are unsteady and sometimes in the wrong direction but he gets there eventually). To keep things interesting and palatable, Yalom has to speed things up to a dizzying pace that does take on an almost hackneyed resolution. These two men develop the kind of trust that usually takes years to develop in a matter of weeks. And they make the kinds of changes that are usually hard fought struggles for life in almost an instant. But at its core, this novel paints the picture of two people healing themselves and healing each other in a loving relationship, which is what the subtle art of psychoanalysis is all about. It is not a science so the poetic license is okay. In closing, I say that if you find yourself open to experiencing the creative journey that psychologists from Freud to Yalom himself have mapped out, especially with such historically significant and engaging characters, this be the novel for you.

10 people found this helpful

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Matthew M. Howell

Fun reading with an intellectual tint.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 21, 2012

When Nietzsche Wept is a good book, a fun book - I am glad it had a postscript that explained the degree to which it coincided with history, because I was quite curious. What it didn't explain, and what I remain curious about, is how accurate the portrayal of Nietzsche's philosophical views might be. In any case, it is an enjoyable fictional walk through historic Vienna, in the company of a young Freud, a pre-syphillitically insane Nietzsche, seen through the lens of an self-tormented doctor.

In short, an bit of gently intellectual light fiction.

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Eva

Good plot and good content, but begs a more concise writing style

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 5, 2009

If this plot is original, then the author truely deserves credit for his imagination that brought various real historical figures together in this believable drama. I also appreciate how the author weaved into the plot many references to Nietzsche's philosophy, Freud's psycholoanalysis, socio-political background in Europe and the state of medicine at around 1882 in Europe. I am not an expert in these areas, but it seems that the author's references were well-researched and good enough for the general audience at least. For me, reading this book is a good short cut to get some reminder of the Nietzsche and Freud reading that I should have retained in school. I am even inspired by this book to read and re-read some Freud and Nietzsche.

The talking therapy conversation between Breuer and Nietzsche, which dominates the book, gave me a valuable glimspe into how psyschotherapy works and the mindsets of psychologists. But, the rather serious downside of this book is that the writing style of these conversations is too long, too over-analyzed and too cumbersome. Like some reader said, the first 100 pages are slow. I found myself often saying "please cut to the chase" in my head while reading the book. It seems that the author thinks that each piece of analysis/observation he offered is so interesting that he can't pare down the less important points. Unless you are a reader who, like me, love Vienna and is interested in psychoanalysis, western philosophy and medicine, I would not recommend this book. Personally, I am glad that I read it though.

2 people found this helpful

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Bob H

Great idea, average writing.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 14, 2009

An ingenious idea, to have Nietzsche work with a doctor undergoing a midlife crisis, and to have Nietzsche analyze him. The doctor represents a common midlife everyman, and Nietzsche's analysis of it is insightful.

But the writing is average. The author doesn't have strong skills in creating believable dialogue. Every! sentence! ends! with! an! exclamation! point! I have never read a book with so many exclamations!
Since one of the characters is Nietzsche, readers will fill in. But if the author had tried to create a brand new character, the book would have fell flat.

If you like Nietzsche, you'll like this novel.

4 people found this helpful

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David J. Loftus

So-so intellectual novel

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 4, 2000

Yalom, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford, has written a decent tale of the encounters between Friedrich Nietzsche (on the brink of authoring _Also Sprach Zarathustra_) and Joseph Breuer, a physician and mentor of Freud, in late 1882. Freud and Lou Andreas-Salome have walk-on roles.
Nietzsche has been going from one physician to another for his migraine headaches and other physical ailments. Lou Salome maneuvers him unknowingly toward Breuer, who effects a proto-psychoanalytic cure through the ruse of having Nietzsche treat HIM ... although the treatment of the doctor by the patient becomes something real in the course of the story.
The dialogue is not entirely convincing. Yalom obviously knows his Nietzsche as well as his psychology and medicine, and one can sense him slipping his own clinical insights into Breuer's ruminations and projections of the future of "mind healing" (must they always be right on the money?). Nietzsche and Breuer come across more convincingly in their letters and notes -- perhaps because we readers are more used to encountering 19th century luminaries through their written words.
The denouement is a little too pat. A stimulating crisis and possible catastrophe seem to develop, and then are jerked from our hands. Perhaps Yalom should not have tried so assiduously to keep his plot within the bounds of historical possibility and instead played more freely with his characters. Still, it is nice to see someone attempt this sort of thing with such substantial and intimidating historic figures.

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