W. H. Auden described Sigmund Freud (1856鈥�1939) as 鈥渁 whole climate of opinion / Under whom we conduct our differing lives.鈥� The controversial father of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Freud charted the human unconscious, brought us the talking cure, and wrote books that now rank among the classics of world literature. In On the Couch, the great analyst is analyzed by some of today鈥檚 great writers and thinkers, who help us understand the man who has helped us understand ourselves as much, if not more, than anyone else, ever. The result is a fresh, multifaceted reassessment of Freud鈥檚 continuing relevance and influence on ideas, literature, culture, science, and more.
Here, Colm T贸ib铆n writes about Freud, World War I, Henry James, and Thomas Mann; Adam Gopnik explores Freud鈥檚 Civilization and Its Discontents; Susie Orbach considers Freud鈥檚 鈥渙rdinary unhappiness鈥� and D. W. Winnicott鈥檚 鈥済ood enough鈥�; Jennifer Finney Boylan reflects on penis envy and gender identity; Peter Kramer describes how new science and drugs have revolutionized psychology since Freud; Susie Boyt, one of Freud鈥檚 great-granddaughters, spends the night at the Freud Museum in London; Siri Hustvedt examines Freud鈥檚 divided reception today; and there鈥檚 much more.
Filled with insights, provocation, and humor, On the Couch offers an original and nuanced portrait of Freud as a complex figure who, for all his flaws, forever changed how we see ourselves and the world.
Awards and Recognition
- An Independent Best Book to Read This Month
- A Guardian Book of the Day
- A Conversation Best Book of the Year
- A Millions Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"Touching. . . . Powerful. . . . Lovely. . . . The contributors to On the Couch write in the hope of resuscitating not so much Freudianism as Sigmund Freud the man."鈥擩oseph Epstein, Wall Street Journal
"Entertainingly diverse. Surprises — like Freudian slips — are everywhere."鈥擱on Charles, Washington Post
"[A] lively volume. . . . Taking tacks both personal and psycholanalytical, these essays paint a fresh, full picture of Freud’s life, work, and indelible cultural impact."鈥�The Millions
"A collection of authors’ fascinating thoughts on Freud."鈥擥abrielle Bellot, Literary Hub
"At a time when Freud is so easily written off as 鈥榓n anachronism or a punch line,鈥� when 鈥榟is story is one that many people think they know,鈥� [On the Couch] pushes against the myth of that single, already-familiar story by offering unique lines of reasoning and association about a vast array of issues related to him. . . . A solid collage of voices to complicate our picture of psychoanalysis."鈥�Kirkus Reviews
"Rich. . . . This lively collection of essays confirms Freud’s continued importance."鈥擠onald Weber, Jewish Book Council
"Andrew Blauner’s On The Couch has brought together a fine number of writers; each one bringing their personal stories to elevate their academic writing and provide a new perspective."鈥�Redbrick Culture
"A lovely grab bag of essays, with meditations on Freud’s dogs, terrifying glimpses into trauma. . . and analysands and analysts meditating on the value or otherwise of what they did inside the secular confessional."鈥擲tuart Jeffries, The Guardian
"Splendid."鈥擬artin Chilton, The Independent
"This volume varies as much as the writers themselves . . . . What makes them cohere is the authors’ inability to escape Freud’s influence."鈥擟hase Padusniak, Commonweal
"[T]here is much here to intrigue and provoke. . . . The best essays come from those writers who seem intuitively to sense what it is they can bring to the reading of Freud as writers."鈥擩osh Cohen, Times Literary Supplement
"Eighty-five years after his death, is there anything left to say about Freud? Andrew Blauner’s fine collection On the Couch answers an emphatic yes. A dream-team of leading writers consider subjects ranging from Freud’s first scientific paper (on eel testicles) to the shadowy figure of his wife Martha, and his love of dogs. The book offers lucid, deeply personal reflections on the complicated legacies of psychoanalysis."鈥擭ick Haslam, The Conversation
"This volume is a reminder of the enormous cultural influence of Sigmund Freud, analysing the great analyst to reflect on who he was, why he did what he did, and the impact he made."鈥擠avid Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer
"[With an] excellent selection of contributors. . . . [On the Couch] stimulates the effort to define, explicate, and celebrate our ambivalence toward Freud."鈥擡lliot Jurist, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
"A stimulating collection."鈥擬artin Chilton, The Independent
