A Letter from Argentina

First, I hope that you and those close to you are all right. I am horrified by the destruction that befell New York and Washington. I share in your grief as I recall the attack on the Israeli embassy here in Buenos Aires and on the AMIA. We relive those other tragic moments each time we hear of a new terrorist act.

Perhaps this is indeed an appropriate time to furnish you the history you have requested. Perhaps turning our thoughts to the psycho-analytic pioneers in Argentina may prove not only a welcome distraction but an inspiration. From those pioneers we received a memorable heritage: the enthusiasm and courage with which they founded the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association. Let's not forget that during those years Argentina was still “neutral” in regard to Nazism, and that it was difficult to act or even think. Freedom was restricted, and authoritarianism and anti-Semitism were rampant. Yet these pioneers overcame their very real fears in their desire to learn the new science of the soul.

Freud's works were translated into Spanish in 1923. When Nazi persecution worsened in Vienna in 1933, a group of writers invited Freud to come to Argentina. Freud declined, saying that although he was able to read and understand Spanish he didn't feel capable of writing in that language. At the same time, several young physicians and other Argentine intellectuals began to passionately study psychoanalysis. You know their now famous names: Arnaldo and Matilde Rascovsky, Enrique Pichon Riviere, Aminda Aberastury (wife of Pichon Riviere), Alberto Tallaferro, Ferrari Hardoy, Flora Scolni, and a few others.

In 1938, fleeing Nazism and the war, Angel Garma and Celes Carcamo arrived in Buenos Aires. Both had been trained in Europe; very soon their practice was filled by those avid Argentine intellectuals who anxiously awaited the chance to develop clinical skills. The fact that founders, teachers, and students shared a native tongue must have contributed t