Read more
This book charts Jung's 32-year correspondence with James Kirsch, a German-Jewish psychiatrist who founded Jungian communities in Berlin, Tel Aviv, London, and Los Angeles, and adds depth and complexity to the previously published record of the early Jungian movement. Their letters tell of heroic survival, brilliant creativity, and the building of generative institutions; but these themes are also darkened by personal and collective shadows. The Nazi era looms over the first half of the book and shapes the story in ways that are fateful not only for Kirsch and his career but also for Jung and his. In 1934, fearing that the undertow of anti-Semitism had taken hold of his beloved teacher, Kirsch challenged Jung to explain some of his publications for the German-dominated (now Nazi-dominated) Medical Society for Psychotherapy. Jung's answer convinced Kirsch of his sincerity, and from then on Kirsch defended him fiercely against any allegation of anti-Semitism. The letters are translated here for the first time and the illuminating editorial commentary provides unique and incisive insights into the writers' world.
Supported by appendices, including a series of revealing letters between Hilde Kirsch and Jung, The Jung-Kirsch Letters is an invaluable resource for those in the fields of analytical psychology and Jungian studies, as well as all those with an interest in learning more about the historical and cultural origins of the Jungian movement.
List of contents
List of Illustrations. Kirsch, Preface. Acknowledgments. Abbreviations. Lammers, Introduction. The Letters. 1928 -- 1932, Berlin. 1933 -- 1934, Tel Aviv. 1935 -- 1938, London. 1940 -- 1947, Los Angeles. 1948 -- 1949, The Institute. 1950 -- 1952, Aion and Job. 1953, Jungians in L.A. 1954, Habent sua fata . 1955 -- 1958, Zurich / Tokyo. 1959 -- 1961, Mysterium. Appendix A: James Kirsch, 1934, "Then He Will Open the Ears of Men". Appendix B: Letters of C. G. Jung and Hilde Kirsch. Appendix C: James Kirsch, 1954, "'The Red One': A Psychological Interpretation of a Story by Jack London". Appendix D: A Brief History of the AAGP / IAAGP. Editor's Note. Translators' Note. List of Letters. Selected Bibliography. Index.
About the author
Ann Conrad Lammers is a psychotherapist, writer, and teacher of theological ethics. She has degrees from Columbia, the General Theological Seminary and Yale. Having worked in the San Francisco area for twenty years, she now lives and works in New England.
