W. H. Auden described Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) as "a whole climate of opinion / Under whom we conduct our differing lives." 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’s 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’s continuing relevance and influence on ideas, literature, culture, science, and more.
Join Esther Freud, Alex Pheby & Susie Boyt at Burford Literary Festival to discuss On the Couch and Sigmund Freud, a complex figure who, for all his flaws, forever changed how we see ourselves and the world.