These talks, given in April 1978 under the auspices of the São Paulo Psychoanalytical Society, were the third of their kind and took place on consecutive evenings with a week-end break between numbers Five and Six. This is an edited version of spontaneous contributions made by Bion without written notes of any kind. I hope that, in spite of editing necessary for the printed word, I have preserved the essential freshness of his spoken communications.

Francesca Bion