Marie Bonaparte 1882-1962

On September 21st Marie Bonaparte died within a few days of leukemia at the age of 80 in St. Tropez, France. It is no simple task to portray in a few lines the outstanding qualities of this exceptional person, even for the writer, who has known her for many years as her pupil and close friend.

It is well known that she was one of the closest friends and collaborators of Freud. Soon after they met, Marie Bonaparte, who was endowed with an exceptionally strong drive for investigation, was able to supply external evidence and prove that events of early infancy reconstructed from dream analysis had actually occurred in reality. Freud wrote: “Now you understand how contradiction and recognition can be completely indifferent when one knows oneself to possess a real certainty.” Later she played an important role in Freud's life. Her admiration for him and especially her courage enabled her to use all the means at her disposal to help him escape from the Nazis. She also saved his library and some of his funds which the Nazis had not yet seized.

Her contributions to psychoanalysis are manifold. Not only did she contribute with her writings and teaching, but she was always ready to give generous financial assistance when and where needed. She was a founder member and an honorary president of the Paris Society, a vice-president of the International Psychoanalytical Association, and just recently became an honorary member of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Her writings have been many and have proven of considerable importance to the scholar. To cite some of them: Chronos, Eros, Thanatos; The Life and Work of Edgar Allen Poe; Psychoanalysis and Biology; Psychoanalysis and Anthropology; Psychoanalysis and Ethnography; Introduction to the Theory of the Instincts; Myths of War; Female Sexuality, and others.

Besides her scientific work, there is also interesting literary work that testifies to her colorful emotional life and a rich talent. Among these are such works as: Gleani