Description

Routledge [Published Date: 2015]. Soft cover, 154 pp. In very good condition with light bumping to edges of covers and light overall scuffing. Binding tight. Pages clean and unmarked. Some black and white illustrations. [From Publisher] This book resurrects the Franz Alexanderian legacy, reminding his behemoth contributions and offers the reader with a deeply tender and touching portrait. It also considers his personal and professional life, the role of family in his decisions, and how those decisions affected other family members. [From back cover] This personal and moving biography of one of the major figures in the history of psychoanalysis takes us from the intellectual society of pre-war Budapest to the shores of California. Although the format is biographical, this book reads more like a mystery, as the author peels away the many layers of her grandfather's personal and professional life. Franz Alexander, or the man she affectionately calls "Big Papa", though well known as a brilliant thinker, is revealed to be a loving, though at times distant, parental figure, who, for reasons known only to himself, chooses to conceal important facets of his family history. Through her research for the book, the author uncovers secrets and lies, which, perhaps in a process similar to psychoanalysis itself, leads her to what Franz Alexander would call a "corrective emotional experience" and a renewed and complete sense of identity. This book is an absolute page-turner that benefits from beautiful descriptive language, mystery, love, intrigue, and a satisfying denouement." - Dr Mimi Champagne, retired psychologist, Nova Scotia, Canada; Dr Franz Alexander was one of the great minds of psychoanalysis, but until now his story has never been told in detail. Ilonka Venier Alexander has written a book that brings a shining new light to the life of Dr Alexander, her grandfather. Told with a mix of historical fact, detailed insight and personal anecdotes, along with striking photographs, her book captures the spirit of the psychoanalytic movement as well as the lives of a man and his family who were at the heart of it.'-Brian Oram, MSW, RSW