Bloomsbury/Freud

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This collection of letters chronicles a one-year period when the Stracheys were separated while she underwent psychoanalysis in Berlin and he remained in England. The couple were among the earliest and most ardent disciples of this radical new science: James had been analyzed by Freud himself, and their English-language translation of the master's complete works (published in 24 volumes by Hogarth Press) remains definitive. The couple were also intimately connected to the literary world of Bloomsbury through James's older brother Lytton and their friendships with Dora Carrington, John Maynard Keynes, Adrian Stephen and his sister Virginia Woolf. Their letters give a delightfully gossipy inside glimpse of both worlds: sexual intrigue and confusion among the ``Bloomsberries''; violent theoretical disagreements and professional jealousies in the psychoanalytic set. The counterpoint between these separate yet equally avant-garde worlds is fascinating, and the portrait of the Stracheys' relationshipa marriage of equality and respect as well as affectionthat emerges from the correspondence is appealing. The editors have provided a useful introduction and copious footnotes, making this a welcome addition to the archives of both Bloomsbury and psychoanalysis. November 27

Library Journal

Strachey was the official translator of the English Standard Edition of Freud's works and a leading British psychoanalyst; his wife Alix was also a psychoanalyst. Separated for a year due to her analysis and his professional obligations, the Stracheys carried on a daily correspondence, which is selec tively presented here. An informative, lively introduction and epilogue to their letters provide an excellent glimpse into the dual worlds of literary Blooms bury and early psychoanalysis. The let ters are highly literate, often sexually frank, and filled with the excitement of artistic and psychoanalytic involve ments in a time of great discovery and controversy. The book will be of inter est to informed laypersons and scholars in the field. Paul Hymowitz, Psychia try Dept., Cornell Univ. Medical Ctr . , New York