Man's Search for Meaning

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has captivated readers across generations with its vivid accounts of life within Nazi concentration camps and essential insights into spiritual endurance. Between 1942 and 1945, Frankl endured unimaginable hardships in four separate camps, including Auschwitz. Tragically, during this time, he lost his parents, brother, and pregnant wife. Drawing from his personal experience and those of his patients, Frankl posited that while suffering is inevitable, individuals have the freedom to choose their response to it, enabling them to discover meaning and purpose amidst adversity. His theory, known as logotherapy—derived from the Greek word logos, meaning "purpose"—suggests that our core motivation is not the pursuit of pleasure, as Freud suggested, but the search for personal meaning.

By the time of Viktor Frankl's passing in 1997, his seminal work, *Man's Search for Meaning*, had achieved global recognition, selling over 10 million copies and being translated into 24 languages. In a 1991 reader survey conducted by the Library of Congress, which asked participants to identify books that significantly impacted their lives, *Man's Search for Meaning* was ranked among the top ten most influential books in America. Beacon Press, the initial English-language publisher, has released a new edition in paperback, featuring a fresh Foreword, biographical Afterword, updated cover, pricing, and classroom resources, aimed at connecting with new generations of readers.