The long-unpublished lectures of Viktor Frankl propose a search for the meaning of life that transcends any optimistic or pessimistic approaches.

The existence of this book is a small miracle. The lectures it includes were given by Viktor Frankl in 1946, just nine months after his liberation from the forced labor camp, where he had faced the specter of death head-on. Frankl's lectures were published at that time by a small German publisher. However, the edition sold out and was largely forgotten until that same publisher recently retrieved it from their archives.

During the years of Nazi dominance in Austria, the potential audience for these lectures did not have the opportunity to engage with Frankl's views, drawing moral support and spiritual stimulation from them. Among the millions of Holocaust victims were Frankl's parents and his pregnant wife. However, despite these personal tragedies and his deep sorrow for the loss of his dearest ones, Frankl managed to incorporate all that had happened to his loved ones and himself into a worldview of affirmation of life, which is reflected both in his most famous book, Man's Search for Meaning, and in these lectures, providing comfort and encouragement to millions of readers. From the introduction by Daniel Goleman