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Pediatrician turned psychoanalyst, remains a seminal figure in psychoanalysis, and the late F. Robert Rodman was one of his most enthusiastic and knowledgeable advocates on the American scene. In books and papers, especially The Spontaneous Gesture,1 an edited collection of Winnicott's letters, Rodman presented, applied, and elaborated the insights, theories, and technical innovations that this innovative British thinker brought to the analysis of children and adults. It is a fitting tribute to both men that Rodman's final book should be this eloquent biography, which examines Winnicott's contributions in the context of his personal development and the intellectual ferment that was taking place in the world of psychoanalysis during his lifetime.
In contrast to many young men of his generation, Winnicott did not see military service in the First World War. Instead, he attended medical school and shortly thereafter began professional life as a pediatrician, a role he continued to maintain in at least a consultative capacity throughout most of his career. His first analyst was James Strachey who responded to Winnicott's interest in children and child analysis by encouraging him to investigate the work of Melanie Klein. This suggestion proved pivotal to Winnicott's career, even as it opened up a painful chapter in his early professional life. Following Strachey's advice, Winnicott sought out Klein, began as her student, spent several years (1935-1940) as her supervisee, requested that she become his second analyst—Klein refused and referred him instead to Joan Riviere, so that Winnicott could analyze her own son, Eric—became her colleague, took her