The Death Of Sigmund Freud By Mark Edmundson Biography history war Jewish psychology The book is a paperback book in a like new condition and has 276 pages Bar code 9781596914308 ******ABOUT THE BOOK****** The Death of Sigmund Freud offers a compelling redescription of why the founder of psychoanalysis retains his relevance todaya stirring account of Freud's final months in ViennaThis is the disruptive legacy of Freud's last year, and Edmundson has found the words to bring it alive today. Los Angeles Times When Hitler invaded Austria in March of 1938, Sigmund Freud was among the 175,000 Viennese Jews dreading Nazi occupation. Though Freud was near the end of his lifeeighty-one years old, battling cancer of the jawand Hitlers rise on the world stage was just beginning, the fates of these two historical giants were nonetheless intertwined. In this gripping and revelatory historical narrative, Mark Edmundson traces Hitler and Freuds oddly converging lives, then zeroes in on Freuds escape to London, where he published his last and most provocative book, Moses and Monotheism . By taking a close look at Freuds last yearsyears that coincided with the onset of the Second World WarEdmundson probes Freuds prescient ideas about the human proclivity to embrace fascism in politics and fundamentalism in religion. At a time when these forces are once again shaping world events, The Death of Sigmund Freud suggests new and vital ways to view Freuds legacy. Mark Edmundson is a professor of English at the University of Virginia. A prizewinning scholar, he has published a number of works of literary and cultural criticism, including Literature Against Philosophy, Plato to Derrida , The One Who Made the Difference , and Why Read? ; he wrote the introduction to Beyond the Pleasure Principle in Adam Phillipss celebrated reissue of Freuds work. He has also written for such publications as The New Republic , The New York Times Magazine , The Nation , and Harpers , where he is a contributing editor. When Hitler invaded Vienna in March of 1938, famed psychologist Sigmund Freud, in failing health at the age of 81, was among the citys 175,000 Jews dreading Nazi occupation. The Nazis hated Sigmund Freud with a particular they detested his soul-destroying glorification of the instinctual life. Here, Mark Edmundson traces Hitler and Freuds oddly converging lives. He then zeroes in on Freuds last two years, during which, with the help of Marie Bonaparte, he was at last rescued from Vienna. He was brought safely to London, where he was honoured as he never had been during his long, controversial life. At the same time, he endured the last of more than thirty operations for cancer of the jaw. Confronting certain death, Freud, in typical fashion, did not let fame make him complacent. Instead, he wrote his most provocative book, Moses and Monotheism , in which he questioned the legacy of the greatest Jewish leader. By focusing on Freuds last two years, Edmundson is able to probe Freuds ideas about death, and also about the human proclivity to embrace fascism in politics and fundamentalism in religion. Edmundson suggests new and important ways to view Freuds legacy at a time when these forces are once again shaping world events. The Death of Sigmund Freud is a thoroughly engaging, solidly informed, and beautifully written book . . . [Edmundsons] writing is so good and so totally free of off-putting professional jargon that it draws the reader irresistibly into Edmundsons portrayal of Freuds last two years . . . a wonderful introduction . . . Those already familiar with Freuds writings can still learn much from this fine book. Journal of American Medicine " The Death of Sigmund Freud offers a compelling redescription of why the founder of psychoanalysis retains his relevance today . . . an engaging read . . . a stirring account of Freud's final months in Vienna . . . This is the disruptive legacy of Freud's last year, and Edmundson has found the words to bring it alive today." Los Angeles Times "Mr. Edmundson proves himself a deft and genial explicator . . . a superb mediation on two kinds of authority, and in its sober, qualified reverence for Freud, Mr. Edmundson provides an example of the kind of relationship to greatness that he is advocating. Mr. Edmundson presents us with a figure who still has the power to rouse us from our complacency, whose stern, exacting eyes continue to remind us that we are apt to that we must work to change our lives." The Sun By tracing the intersecting stories of Sigmund Freud and Adolph Hitler in the days before World War II, Mark Edmundson sheds a fresh light on one of the most pressing questions of our the allure of fundamentalist politics and the threat it poses to the values of civilization. The Death of Sigmund Freud is a bracing, brilliant, and urgent book. Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and The Botany of Desire
