ART MODEL OF BIBLIOTHERAPY IN NINA GEORGE’S NOVEL “THE LAVENDER ROOM”

Abstract

The article examines the therapeutic function of literature in “The Lavender Room,” a novel by a contemporary German writer Nina George. Central attention is paid to the concept of “book as medicine,” which is realized through the image of the protagonist, bookseller Jean Egare. His unique method of “literary pharmacy” is analyzed, where each book is selected individually as a recipe for healing mental wounds, personal experiences and loneliness, as well as existential crises. The article traces the connection of fiction with real psychological practices of bibliotherapy, and also draws a parallel with the historical precedent – E. Kestner’s “Lyrical Home Medicine Cabinet.” The various roles the book plays in the novel are examined in detail: a lifeline, a comforter, and a catalyst for personal transformation. The article attempts to demonstrate an example of literature becoming a tool for self-discovery, self-reflection and an alternative to traditional psychotherapy for humans. Literature helps the characters in the novel rediscover themselves and the meaning of life.