An interview with Jean-Claude Rolland

From the very start of our meeting, Jean-Claude Rolland underlined the importance of art and literature. Especially after 1920, it is noticeable how they nourished Freud’s theories. In other words, in order to understand Freud it is important to consider the whole intellectual development in Austria at the time. “If not”, Rolland added, “psychoanalytic articles easily become dry and dogmatic. It is evident that Freud was also inspired by other fields when launching the second topic of id, ego and super-ego.”

When I mentioned to him how André Green had told how re-reading the Greek tragedies was a way to continue his analyses, Jean-Claude Rolland responded immediately: “That sheds light on all that Freud wrote on art … it is about being nourished. A tragedy can nourish you as you listen to it.”

After a while – there were often small periods of silence in the course of our encounter – Rolland continued, telling how compelling Flaubert is as an author. “And keep in mind; it is the same human experience that emanates from a painting as in psychoanalytic sessions, or for that matter in a dream.”

This is how the interview with Jean-Claude Rolland started at the end of November in 2013. He and his wife Josiane had generously picked me up in Lyon and we drove north to their home, through a well-known wine district. It had been snowing for the last 2 days, so vine on the surrounding hills were partly covered. Thus, warmly received in this way I could deeply appreciate another point Rolland made early in our meeting; that it is important that the psychoanalyst can step out of his discipline.

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– Often in your writings you underline the relationship between dream and poetry…