About the Book
This is the second volume in Brett Kahr's 'Interviews with Icons' series, following on from Tea with Winnicott. Professor Kahr, himself a highly regarded psychoanalyst, turns his attention to the work of the father of psychoanalysis. The book is lavishly illustrated by Alison Bechdel, winner of the MacArthur Foundation 'Genius' Award.Sigmund Freud pays another visit to Vienna's renowned Cafe Landtmann, where he had often enjoyed reading newspapers and sipping coffee. Freud explains how he came to invent psychoanalysis, speaks bluntly about his feelings of betrayal by Carl Gustav Jung, recounts his flight from the Nazis, and so much more, all the while explaining his theories of symptom formation and psychosexuality.Framed as a 'posthumous interview', the book serves as the perfect introduction to the work of Freud while examining the context in which he lived and worked. Kahr examines his legacy and considers what Freud has to teach us. In a world where manifestations of sexuality and issues of the mind are ever more widely discussed, the work of Sigmund Freud is more relevant than ever. This book is an ideal primer on Freud's work for anyone from the psychoanalytic professional to the interested layperson.
Table of Contents:
Interviews with Icons , Books by Brett Kahr , Introductory Note , Dramatis Personae , The Interview , The resurrection of Professor Sigmund Freud , Beyond the Narrenturm: towards a critique of psychiatry , A Moravian childhood , Freud as translator , Smoking a Trabuco cigar , Polish liquor on Frau Benvenisti’s couch , Digging for antiquities , Brook lampreys, eels, and a bit of cocaine , Freud and his fecundity , Blowing off steam: how to treat a hysteric , A suicidal crown prince and a murdered empress , On the verge of dreaming , Epilogue
About the Author :
Professor Brett Kahr is Senior Fellow at Tavistock Relationships, in the Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London, and, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health at the Centre for Child Mental Health. A registrant of both the British Psychoanalytic Council and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, he has written or edited nine books and serves as Series Editor or Co-Editor to the "Forensic Psychotherapy Monograph Series" and the "History of Psychoanalysis Series" for Karnac Books. He is also a Trustee of the Freud Museum London. He has worked in the mental health field for over thirty-five years. His most recent book is 'Coffee with Freud', and his forthcoming book is entitled 'Winnicott's Anni Horribiles: The Creation of 'Hate in the Counter-Transference''. Alison Bechdel is an American cartoonist. Originally best known for the long-running comic strip 'Dykes to Watch Out For', she came to critical success in 2006 with her graphic memoir 'Fun Home', which was subsequently adapted as a musical and won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2015. She is a 2014 recipient of the MacArthur 'Genius' Award.
Review :
'Brett Kahr has been teaching the works of Freud since 1979. In this fascinating book he presents his "posthumous interview" with Freud from their "get-togethers" at Vienna's legendary Cafe Landtmann. When I was the Fulbright-Freud Visiting Scholar of Psychoanalysis in 2006, I had my office at 19 Berggasse and enjoyed drinking coffee at Cafe Landtmann where I also "talked" with Freud, but not in such a balanced and layered way. Reading Kahr's book made me envious of the author, who has found a creative method of introducing the great professor both as the father of psychoanalysis and as a private man.'- Professor Vamik Volkan, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, and Senior Erik Erikson Scholar at the Austen Riggs Center'Brett Kahr is one of the best historians of psychoanalysis writing today, and able to deal with the most difficult topics authoritatively and wittily, and with so light a touch that they become accessible to all. The twelve imaginary dialogues that make up this book pay particular attention to Freud's early professional struggles and to the ways in which these shaped both his own life and the lives of countless analysts and patients in the decades that followed. The result is a wonderfully human and highly original picture of a brilliant man and his ideas.'- Dr Neil Vickers, Reader in English Literature and Director of the Centre for the Humanities and Health at King's College London, University of London'As a mental health professional, and as the granddaughter of Freud's pupil Dr Franz Alexander, I found this book pure joy. Coffee with Freud is an absolute page-turner that benefits from beautiful descriptive language, secrets revealed, and great humour. Freud really comes to life in this conversation that is witty, personal, compelling, and insightful. An ingenious means to travel through time to meet the father of psychoanalysis."- Ilonka Venier Alexander, author of The Life and Times of Franz Alexander: From Budapest to California and co-editor of Love and Survival in Budapest: The Memoir of Artur Renyi'"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," said Freud. But do you realise that Freud never actually spoke these words? This is just one fascinating snippet revealed by this amazing volume. And sometimes a book is just a book - but not this one. This is pure genius. The dialogue reveals a dazzling knowledge of Freud's life and milieu. Coffee with Freud is an exquisite gift to those seeking insight into one of the most influential minds of the last three centuries.'- Professor John Nuttall, Professor of Integrative Psychotherapy, Assistant Dean, and Head of the School of Psychotherapy and Psychology, Regent's University London'Brett Kahr has created a whole new category of psychoanalytic communication. Eminently readable, accurate, full of great illustrations... and fun! Long may the series flourish.'- Dr Anton Obholzer, Emeritus Consultant and formerly Chairman of the Tavistock Clinic and Chief Executive of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in London, and Senior Consultant, Tavistock Consultancy Service
