X-Book

When Nietzsche Wept

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Listen to a sample

What to expect

In nineteenth-century Vienna, a drama of love, fate, and will is played out amid the intellectual ferment that defined the era. Josef Breuer, one of the founding fathers of psychoanalysis, is at the height of his career. Friedrich Nietzsche, Europe’s greatest philosopher, is on the brink of suicidal despair, unable to find a cure for the headaches and other ailments that plague him.

When he agrees to treat Nietzsche with his experimental “talking cure,” Breuer never expects that he too will find solace in their sessions. Only through facing his own inner demons can the gifted healer begin to help his patient. In When Nietzsche Wept, Irvin Yalom blends fact and fiction, atmosphere and suspense to unfold an unforgettable story about the redemptive power of friendship.

Critics Review

When Nietzsche Wept is the best dramatization of a great thinker’s thought since Sartre’s The Freud Scenario.”

Chicago Tribune

“An intelligent, carefully researched, richly imagined novel.”

Boston Globe

“Strong and authentic. The element of surprise is a magical, jolting moment.”

Washington Post Book World

“Fascinating…A shrewd intellectual thriller.”

Lost Angeles Times Book Review

“In this intelligent, fully imagined tale, Yalom accurately evokes the encapsulated world of Breuer and Nietzsche’s sessions.”

Publishers Weekly

“A stimulating dip into the pools of nineteenth-century philosophy, psychology, and culture. A delectable fantasy.”

Kirkus Reviews
Author Irvin D. Yalom
Narrator Richard Powers
Duration 15 hours and 26 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781504654654
Format Audiobook
Publisher Blackstone Publishing
Genre Fiction: general and literary, Historical fiction
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.