Introduction

It has been more than a century since the term bibliotherapy was introduced to describe the practice of using literary materials to address mental health issues. Today, it is used as an umbrella term to cover a variety of clinical and non-clinical interventions involving books, reading and communication around texts. While psychologists share their positive experiences of using fiction and self-help materials in their counselling practices (Mendel, Harris and Carson, 2016; Volpe et al., 2015); librarians report on the success of collaborative Books on Prescription schemes in public libraries (Carty et al., 2016; Robertson et al., 2008); and facilitators of shared reading groups in community settings describe the psychological and social benefits of readaloud sessions for diverse populations (Dowrick et al., 2012; Hodge, Robinson and Davis, 2007). Behind these academic reports and anecdotal stories are real people who were helped during difficult times in their lives.

My bibliotherapy journey went through different stages — from my personal experiences of the transformative power of literature, to an academic exploration of the art and science of bibliotherapy as a discipline, to first-hand observations of how books can improve the lives of individuals dealing with various life challenges, including those facing a terminal illness. Throughout my life, I have had many powerful moments of interaction with books, while recreating narrative worlds and building intellectual and emotional connections with their authors and characters. Books not only opened new perspectives and opportunities, but helped me to cope with difficult times in my life, including adjusting to the life in a new country while dealing with changes in career and family crisis. It was then when I came across a short story The Road to Rankin's Point by Alistair MacLeod, and this particular line: ‘It does not matter that some things are difficult. No one has ever said that life is to be easy. Only that it is to be lived.’ (MacLeod, 2000, 172). These words immediately resonated with another line from my favourite German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who wrote in his Letters to a Young Poet: ‘what matters is to live everything’ (Rilke, 2011, 51). The therapeutic effect of these lines on me was so strong that it helped dismiss my fears and doubts and activate the inner resources for a new start in life.