The Passions of the Mind

Summary

The Passions of the Mind is a 1971 novel by American author Irving Stone. It is a biographical novel about the psychiatrist Sigmund Freud and covers his life from when he was a student to when he is forced to leave Austria to escape the growing influence of the Nazis. It covers many aspects of the subject's life, including his hospital work, his relationship with his parents, his marriage to Martha Bernays, and his support for his successor, Carl Jung. The book is notable for going into great detail of Freud's theories, especially the Oedipus Complex.

The Passions of the Mind
Cover of the first edition
AuthorIrving Stone
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreBiographical, Historical novel
PublisherDoubleday
Publication date
1971
ISBN0451134567

Irving Stone is best renowned for his several biographical novels, the best known being Lust for Life and The Agony and the Ecstasy (about the artists Vincent van Gogh and Michelangelo, respectively), which were both adapted into major Hollywood productions. Though less well known, Passions of the Mind was an American bestseller upon its release, spending 13 weeks at the top of the New York Times Bestseller List (fiction) in the spring of 1971, and nearly 30 weeks in the top 15.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ John Bear, The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times bestsellers since the first list, 50 years ago, Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1992. p. 115