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Clare Winnicott (1906-1984), the second wife and true love of Donald Woods Winnicott, has been remembered more as the wife of a great analyst than as a significant professional in her own right. Joel Kanter has now set the record straight in Face to Face with Children: The Life and Work of Clare Winnicott. In the introductory chapter to his book, kanter describes Clare Winnicott's rebellious childhood in a conservative family. She later pursued a career in social work administration, child care practice, and education. Kanter tells us that Clare Winnicott was well known in the 1940s and 1950s as the founder of England's first social work program in child welfare, and for her writings on the empathy and emotional rapport in caring for children who are in need.
Following the chapter concerning data regarding the events of her life, Kanter summarizes sixteen of Clare Winnicott's papers and interviews. He often provides the reader the opportunity to experience firsthand Clare Winnicott's humanity, her intelligence, and her dedication to the care of people in difficult and comlex life situations.
It is of interest that Oscar Wilde wrote that the possibility of being the subject of a posthumous biography is one more reason to fear death. Clare Winnicott need not have worried, because Kanter has told her story and presented her work in such a positive manner that she seems to have no flaws. Every biographer has a story line or theme pervading his or her work, and Kanter clearly admires Clare. He does not distort facts in telling his story, but he has overlooked her darker side.
My own work in researching Masud Khan, Donald W. Winnicott's analysand and collaborator, suggests a different Clare. Masud and Clare were arch enemies, competitors for Donald Winnicott's love and attention