Early Women Analysts: History, Biography and Contemporary Relevance, Edited by Klara Naszkowska

Dr. Naszkowska has edited a passionate, thrilling, agonizing, and timely collection of essays about the lives and work of sixteen underestimated and forgotten European foremothers of psychoanalysis. She pays homage to others who are not included here but listed at the end of the book. This collection of essays was curated from a conference about Sabina Spielrein and the female pioneers, held at the University of Essex, England in 2022. Unknown figures also came to light. The editor of this volume, a cultural historian and the chair of the International Association for Spielrein Studies, coordinated the conference, carefully edited and even sensitively translated some of the papers. Almost all the women studied are Jewish.

Naszkowska's luminous introductory essay vividly brings their tumultuous lives into the context of the European cauldron of gradual rising fascism, antisemitism, ethnic “cleansing,” misogyny and xenophobia, and educational and social repression that engulfed the twentieth century into rampant violence that gradually overwhelmed the continent in two world wars and the Holocaust. This book is a great help in restoring these women's heritage as dedicated builders of our field, bringing their vibrant thinking fully into our collective awareness. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Naszkowska and her wonderfully chosen array of scholarly international authors, who represent many European countries. All are deeply acquainted with psychoanalysis and history.

The already famous women here are Sabina Spielrein (whose life and work have been the editor's specialty), Lou Andreas Salomé, and Beata “Tola” Rank. These women's notability has been overshadowed by the famous men they loved. Each, though, was a significant intellectual contributor—a historical fact, misogynistically suppressed. Lesser known but

significant women here are Barbara Low, a founder in London, and Margarete Hilferding, an analyst of especial interest to me, because of her early and vatic