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Budapest, May 30, 1926
Dear Professor,
Almost four weeks have passed since the memorable May 6, without my having sought you out with my lines.1 To be sure, I had a “swelled head” in the meantime. The personal and practical factors and motives undulated back and forth, and the result was—as usual—at first, absolute paralysis, from which actually only the publication of Rank's book2 roused me. So, for the moment, I would like to talk about it.
I haven't read the book yet, only leafed through it. But the whole presentation, the manner of its publication (with Deuticke),3 keeping this plan a secret, Rank's departure immediately before having it published, etc., make the most unedifying impression on me from the outset. I will naturally be able to form a definitive opinion about the value or worthlessness of the contents only after reading the book, but the little that I have seen of it suffices to make it appear as though my suspicion that Rank wants to replace psychoanalysis with a special method, which we should from now on call birth therapy, is justified. You recall that I shared with the Committee my intention to subject the Rankian theory to a critique. This has been made easy for me by the publication of the book. As soon as I have finished the review of your last book, I intend to write the critique of Rank.4 I have the feeling that you have given the Rankian ideas their full due in your book, so that I can now concern myself without reservation with the weaknesses of his technique. My working relationship with Rank, which was very intimate for a time (“Development [of Psychoanalysis]”), also forces me, by the way, once again publicly to make clear my position with regard to his ideas and measures. I am happy that through this—in full recognition of his good qualities and also of some of his ideas—I can finally free myself from him, since his character traits also downright force me to tear up coram publico [in public view] the all too brotherly commonality that w