The Death of Sigmund Freud: The Legacy of His Last Days

About this book

"The Death of Sigmund Freud offers a compelling redescription of why the founder of psychoanalysis retains his relevance todaya stirring account of Freuds final months in ViennaThis is the disruptive legacy of Freuds 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.