Profession: psychoanalyst

Donald Winnicott

D. W. Winnicott

psychiatrist, paediatrician, psychoanalyst

1896 (Plymouth, England) – 1971 (London)

Winnicott’s ideas in child psychology remain influential. Jones, a cordial friend, gave him a list of analysts for his own personal problems, though he couldn’t choose. Klein supervised part of his training; he analysed her son, but refused to become a disciple. He remained neutral in the struggle between Klein and Freud, undertook a famous dialogue with Freud, and strengthened his personal and professional ties with her. Bowlby and Bion were colleagues, Luria, Graves, Szasz and Lowenfeld correspondents. Despite polar differences, he was friendly with Lacan, whose daughter accidentally broke a bottle of wine at dinner.

Donald Winnicott knew…

Wilfred Bion

psychoanalyst

1897 (Muttra, now Mathura, India) – 1979 (Oxford)

Bion was an original and influential psychoanalyst who led the equally-influential Tavistock Clinic. Klein gave him a training analysis. Bion once sat next to Ross at a dinner. Bowlby and Winnicott were Tavistock colleagues, Bowlby having worked alongside Bion on wartime officer selection. Lacan met him on a study-visit to England, and was influenced by his work. Beckett went to Bion while depressed and suffering from panic-attacks, but doubted that the treatment did him much good (other than being impressed by a lecture of Jung’s that Bion took him to).

Wilfred Bion knew…

Julia Kristeva

critical theorist, psychoanalyst, semiotician, writer

1941 (Sliven, Bulgaria) –

Barthes taught Kristeva. She became a member of Sollers’ ‘Tel Quel’ group (marrying Sollers), where Derrida was one of her colleagues. Schapiro was a correspondent, Roth a friend. Kristeva valued greatly the friendship of Benveniste, visiting him in hospital towards the end of his life, and dedicating a book to him.

Julia Kristeva knew…

Sigmund Freud

psychologist, psychoanalyst, writer

1856 (Freiburg, Austria, now Přibor, Czech Rep.) – 1939 (London)

As a young man, Freud worked in Brücke’s laboratory and almost discovered the neurone. He studied under Charcot in Paris, and formed the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society with Adler. Breuer was a close friend and collaborator, Mahler one of his patients, Jones his biographer, and Einstein a noted correspondent. He maintained an intense collaboration with Jung up to 1914, the pair travelling together to the U.S., but Freud thought America “a big mistake.” Rank joined his Wednesday discussion circle and became one of his closest collaborators. Breton visited him in Vienna, and tried his methods out on his own patients.

Sigmund Freud knew…

Jacques Lacan

psychoanalyst, psychiatrist

1901 (Paris) – 1981 (Paris)

Lacan’s philosophical influence was immense. He was Picasso’s personal doctor, also friendly with Bataille, Merleau-Ponty, Breton, Sollers and Dalí. He visited Bion, who influenced him, on a study-visit to England. Lévi-Strauss, Althusser, Hyppolite and Foucault all participated in his famous seminars; Irigaray and Miller (who married his daughter) also took part. Althusser had a complex relationship with him; sometimes friends, sometimes foes. Lévi-Strauss introduced him to Jakobson, who became a good friend and regularly stayed with him while in Paris. Moreau met him at Duras’, and said he started sending her “terrible orchids” which she hid in a cupboard.

Jacques Lacan knew…