3 Review(s)

In this book Roazen reaches back to the beginning of his career in the 1960s, when he interviewed more than 70 people who had known Sigmund Freud personally, among them nearly a dozen members of Freud's family. These included three of Freud's children - Oliver, Mathilda and Anna - and several in-laws, nieces, nephews and grandchildren. Roazen also met with many members of Freud's other "family" - the men and women who became part of the psychoanalytic movement and regarded Freud as their mentor and patriarch. The detailed notes Roazen took during these interviews provide the basis for this book, which offers insights and information about Freud and Freudianism. Roazen recounts, for example, the story of his discovery that Anna Freud had been psychoanalyzed by her father, and he explores the strained relations between Freud and his various natural and intellectual progeny. Part personal reminiscence, part historical analysis, "Meeting Freud's Family" examines the points of intersection in Freud's life and thought. It sets out to demystify the legacy of one of the most influential figures of the modern age.