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Dr. Kavka has given a place in the written history of psychoanalysis to Lionel Blitzsten. He has honored him by listing him among the psychoanalysts who contributed to problems of narcissism in the decades that preceded Kohut's extensive exposition on the subject and by recognizing Blitzsten's influence in psychoanalytic education. To those who are young in our field of interest the elucidation of narcissistic strivings and their effect on personality may seem like a new breakthrough in psychoanalysis. But, like Blitzsten, many others have grappled with the clinical and theoretical problems of this aspect in personality since Freud's paper on the subject (1914).
I attended Blitzsten's clinical case conference s in the late '40s. I also had personal supervision from him, and from several analysts who were considered to be members of his group. My residency and candidate years were those during which Blitzsten's presence and influence were still felt in Chicago psychoanalysis and much discussed.
Although he was only 59 years old when he died, from my youthful perspective Blitzsten seemed to be hoary with age. He had a unique charisma for the young, as Dr. Kavka has pointed out. He was a short, plump man with a huge, glistening round head, no neck, and small features on a wide face. His red lips moved minimally as he spoke rapidly in his clipped, affected tone, and erudite vocabulary. He often wore dark glasses, dark suits, and dark shirts. In the salon where he saw his patients he was relaxedly be-gowned. There was a sanctum sanctorum quality