A book delving into the intellectual and spiritual beliefs of 17th-century Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza would be highly intriguing. Just as impressive would be a book following the personal development of Alfred Rosenberg, a philosopher instrumental in shaping and documenting Nazi ideology. Imagine, then, how enticing a novel juxtaposing the lives of these two men would be for many readers. Luckily, Irvin D. Yalom has written just such a novel: The Spinoza Problem.
Yalom, a psychiatrist in private practice, has written extensively about psychotherapy, in both nonfiction (Theory and Practice in Group Psychotherapy) and fiction (When Nietzsche Wept). He is the perfect author to bring together Spinoza and Rosenberg in a novel, with chapters that alternate between the two characters' respective time periods.
The Spinoza Problem could be considered a "teaching novel"; using extensive sections of dialogue between characters, often in a manner suggestive of psychotherapy, Yalom gives voice to Spinoza's bold theories and Rosenberg's somewhat tortuous exploration of Spinoza (by way of Goethe) during his development as a Nazi ideologue. Though categorized as fiction, The Spinoza Problem informs the reader of the passionate ideas of Spinoza and the disturbing mindset and writings of Rosenberg. Indeed, most readers will be intrigued enough by this novel to seek out further works about Yalom's two subjects, as well as his other works. --Roni K. Devlin, owner of Literary Life Bookstore & More