Like Wind, Like Wave - by Stefano Bolognini (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"The brief pieces collected in this volume are as much short stories as they are essays as they are psychoanalytic studies. In every chapter, the stage is set for consideration of large matters--the nature of passion, the crucial role of illusion and disillusion in life, what constitutes heroism--but always in relation to a very particular story from the author's life, and always a story told with the kind of charming humor that points us toward tolerance for and appreciation of the richness of humanity. There is a lovely and beguiling intimacy about Stefano Bolognini's prose, so that psychoanalytic concepts are never intrusions of jargon, but rather ideas to conjure with, creatively." --From the Foreword by Owen Renik

IN THESE TEN ESSAYS, Stefano Bolognini tells colorful stories from his life, from encounters with a giant Caucasian sheepdog and a martial arts master to a wandering journey through a remote Italian village, and draws out the meaning of these experiences for himself and his readers. Showcasing Bolognini's gift for storytelling and his remarkable insight, Like Wind, Like Wave marks a welcome return to psychoanalytic writing as a subjective art.
as a subjective art.

Review Quotes

It's hard to peg this title: not completely psychoanalytic treatise but more than a memoir, it stands out from the crowd in using the author's years of analytical experience to comment on anecdotes gleaned from personal experience. The result draws many important connections between experience and psychology.

Valley Scene Magazine, Rory L. Aronsky

As Bolognini is a well-educated psychoanalyst, he has a lot of that kind of knowledge to discuss. And it's in topics you'd never think would be cause for it. But in everything, there is something, as Bolognini seems to indicate through his own life....The inimitable talent of Bolognini is how involved one can get in reading what he believes...Even if you're not interested in psychoanalysis or psychiatry in general, there's a lot to glean from Bolognini's stories, especially in looking back through our own lives through his thoughts and perhaps seeing something new.

About the Author

Stefano Bolognini, the author of several books, including Psychoanalytic Empathy, is a frequent morning show guest and contributor to newspapers in Italy. Winner of the Gradiva Award for Like Wind, Like Wave, he lives and works in Bologna.

Owen Renik, M.D.

Owen Renik, M.D., is currently a Training and Supervising Analyst at the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Society. He was Editor in Chief of The Psychoanalytic Quarterly for ten years, Program Chair of The American Psychoanalytic Association for two terms, and served as Director of Training and Associate Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Zion Hospital, San Francisco. He maintains a private practice in San Francisco.

Malcolm Garfield

Malcolm Garfield is a teacher of English at the University of Padua and a translator specializing in psychoanalytic texts. He lives with his wife and two children in Padua, Italy.