The Correspondence of the Freud Couple Laid Bare

Show & Culture

Discussion and exchange with Teolinda Gersão. Moderated by Paul Rauchs The latest book by Portuguese novelist Teolinda Gersão, Autobiografia não escrita de Martha Freud ('Unwritten Autobiography of Martha Freud'), highlights the decisive role played by Sigmund Freud's wife in the rise of the father of psychoanalysis. This novel, not yet translated, is largely inspired by the letters exchanged between Sigmund Freud and Martha Bernays, written when they were engaged, between 1882 and 1886. Teolinda Gersão closely studied this correspondence to do justice to this historically overlooked female figure. During this meeting, the novelist will discuss with psychoanalyst and author Paul Rauchs the genesis of the novel, the art of using epistolary material to enrich fiction, and the need to restore the image of Martha Bernays, devoted wife, mother of six, and key confidante. The aim is to better understand the essential role played by "Frau Professor" in the life and work of Freud.