Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

Yesterday I received and read with great surprise something like a detective story—almost a horror story—about myself; about the East-European Institute of Psychoanalysis, which is headed by me; and about the current state of psychoanalysis in Russia as a whole. What I am referring to is David Bennett's article “Guilt as Capital: Psychoanalysis and the New Russians,” which was published in the journal you edit (Vol. 6, No. 1, Spring 2001, under “International Notes,” pp. 123-38).

Permit me to make the following comments:

(1) p. 123: The author refers to a “houseboat,” and then on p. 124 refers to “multi-story houseboat,” and “preferred operational bases of eastern European Mafia.”

In fact, the boat in question is an ordinary river barge (without an engine), with living quarters. This barge, which had been standing idle for several years at the entrance of the city park, was bought from the government at closeout prices by the husband of one of my students. Afterwards, a sort of country house was built onto it, which also serves (and continues to serve to this day) as a gallery of contemporary art. The houseboat is now in fact quite beautiful and is designed for comfort and convenience. In it there are indeed several guest bedrooms. As for the mirror on the ceiling, this is only a figment of the rich imagination of the author.

My student's husband has no connection whatsoever with the Mafia. He is a very successful businessman, in some sense a financial genius, and a great admirer of art. Last year he financed yet another gallery of contemporary Saint Petersburg art, located downtown in the Nevsky Prospekt area.

For ethical reasons I cannot go into details, but I can say that the wife of this businessman, after successfully finishing our Institute, perhaps for the first time found her place in life. At present she is a well-known art critic in the city. Because of these facts, the husband of my former student has a special respect for our Institute. He is also