In his long career, Irvin Yalom has been dedicated to exploring the lives of others. In the book "Was That Life? Then One More Time!: Memories of a Psychiatrist," his long-awaited autobiography, he turns his therapeutic gaze on himself, examines the relationships that shaped him, and outlines his pioneering work for which he became famous.

A child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Yalom grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Washington. Wanting to escape its confines, he set out to become a doctor. His rise was impressive: Yalom shares with readers his beginnings at Harvard Medical School, amidst the cultural ferment and upheavals of the 1960s, his turn to writing literary works to explore the human soul in greater depth, and his evolution into a world-renowned author.

In his autobiography, we also follow how Yalom shaped his pioneering approach to group psychotherapy and how he evolved into the most significant contemporary existential psychotherapist, drawing from the wisdom of great thinkers of all times. We discover where he found inspiration for his books loved by the international reading public, such as "The Executioner of Love" and "When Nietzsche Wept," where the synthesis of psychology and philosophy led to a new revelatory understanding of the human condition. Interweaving the stories of his most memorable patients with narratives of his personal loves, readings, adventures, disappointments, family moments, and professional successes, the book "Was That Life? Then One More Time!: Memories of a Psychiatrist" opens a window for readers into Yalom's family life, his scientific and psychotherapeutic journey, and the writing of the books that established him.

In this, his last book, Yalom draws wisdom from a passage by Charles Dickens: "For, as I draw closer to the end, the circle closes and I move more and more toward the beginning." He looks back to where he started and invites us to examine our own beginnings, perhaps offering his greatest gift to readers.

For Greek readers, the book is of particular interest: Yalom dedicates two chapters to Greece and describes in detail his visits to the country where the most per capita readers of his books in the world live.