Freud's Last Months in Vienna and the Final Year of His Life in London
The Political Background: Freud and Jewish science were never favored during the Hitler era – in 1933 and 1938 his books were burned in Berlin. At the time of the Nazi takeover, Freud and his family’s lives were also in danger. Freud was initially reluctant but eventually was forced to leave Vienna after his daughter, Anna, was held and interrogated by the Gestapo for an entire day.
Translation of a Dog Book
Mark Edmundson “The Death of Sigmund Freud: Fascism, Psychoanalysis, and the Rising Fundamentalism” includes this in its review, John Gay writes:
“Freud could not be called sentimental, yet he spent the last months of his life translating, translating the biography of a dog from French into German.”
According to Freud’s biographer, Ernest Jones, difficult days awaited Freud and Anna until they left Vienna. They both worked on the same translation, the book by the French princess, “Maria Bonaparte: Topsy, the Golden-Haired Chow”.
Topsy’s story is a psychoanalytic tale, penned by the great analyst Maria Bonaparte. Topsy was her dog who had a tumor. Maria Bonaparte tells in the book about the emotions she experienced during Topsy’s illness and eventual recovery. The story was written in France and Greece before the Second World War began, also alluding to European events.
Bonaparte’s relationship with her dog reveals her own fears about loneliness, aging, death, and the uncertain political situation. As the story progresses, Maria Bonaparte recalls her father’s illness, who also suffered from cancer.
Topsy’s story, although not based on scientific research, offers insight into the psychoanalytic influences of the relationship between humans and animals.
In the new introduction, Gary Genesko reflects on Sigmund Freud’s own analyses regarding the therapeutic usefulness of dogs in therapy sessions. He writes about the relationship between Freud and Maria Bonaparte, and also about the significant role dogs played in their company.
Topsy’s story will interest psychologists, psychiatrists, and dog lovers.
Based on the photos, it appears that Topsy was a cream-colored chow, hence the term “golden-haired”.
On April 9, 1938, one month after Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Freud wrote: “The translation of Topsy is finished.”
Topsy's story is true and instructive! Edmundson writes about it like this:
“Freud loved this book not only because of his love for the princess and his affection for the chows, but for the story itself…
Topsy also had cancer, just like Freud, and it was found in the same place in both of them. Like Freud, Topsy underwent surgeries and had to be treated like Freud, with X-rays and radium.”
As it turned out, well! After her fight with cancer, Topsy thrived, found joy in her garden, and enjoyed the ocean… this must have been a truly beautiful dream for Freud, whose problems were much more terrible. As Edmundson writes:
“Freud worked with his daughter Anna on the translation, they reviewed the princess’s book together, and thus the elderly Freud had the opportunity to reflect on healing and perhaps indirectly on resurrection as well.”
Jofi's death and successor
Freud’s battle with oral and jaw cancer – a disease caused by his cigar addiction (which he never managed to quit) – began in 1923, and over the years he underwent many painful surgeries. After one particularly difficult procedure, Freud wrote to Maria Bonaparte:
“I wish you had experienced with me the sympathy that Jofi showed me during these hellish days, as if she understood everything.”
In January 1937, Jofi had to be operated on for an ovarian cyst. The surgery seemed successful, but three days after Jofi returned home, she suddenly suffered a heart attack at home and died.
When Freud’s first chow Lun-Yü died, Freud was only able to take in a new dog seven months later. This time Freud deeply mourned the dog – he wrote: “It is not easy for a person to get over seven years of intimacy” – but in the end he brought home another chow, Lun, the next day.
Lun was Jofi’s sister, and Freud had earlier attempted to have the two dogs live together in the family, but Jofi could not tolerate Lun (we might call it sibling rivalry). And after Jofi’s death, Lun now returned to rule the house and Freud’s heart.
I also recommend the 8th part of the article series!
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