Description
The title of this large book suggests the difficulty of defining the scope of it. The author states that the approach & title of his earlier work, The Problem of Death in Freud’s Writings & His Life, were too narrow for the present work. ‘The problem of life & death cannot be separated. The wish to live & all the elements which sustain it, the fear of death, which can gradually change into acceptance, or even into a wish to die, the conflict & shifting balance of these opposing wishes are all part of human existence. My book will…deal with all these elements as they are reflected in the life of one man. However, the choice of material is highly selective, & many of Freud’s works & events in his life are not discussed.’ Schur emphasizes the fact that his book, ‘although a biographical study, is not a full-scale biography’ (p.16). I believe that the true theme of the book is the history & prehistory of Schur’s relationship to Freud.
