Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor E. Frankl (1905–1997) was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, Holocaust survivor, and the founder of logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy centered on the search for meaning. Born in Vienna, he developed his approach after studying medicine and working as a physician; his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps later shaped his best-known work, Man’s Search for Meaning.

Frankl wrote more than 30 books, including The Doctor and the Soul, Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning, and Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything. Embracing Hope: On Freedom, Responsibility & the Meaning of Life presents themes consistent with his emphasis on personal freedom, responsibility, and meaning. Yes to Life originated in lectures Frankl delivered in Vienna shortly after his liberation from the camps.