W.R. Bion

This volume gathers essays on the ideas of Wilfred Bion and how they have kept developing since his death. Most of the pieces began as talks at the International Centennial Conference on Bion's work, held in Turin in 1997. Contributors include Francesca Bion, Andre Green, James Grotstein and a number of other writers.

Francesca Bion, reflecting on her husband's work, questions how wisdom can take root in a culture that rewards cleverness and the construction of ever more elaborate stand-ins for genuine reflection. The editors suggest that the most fitting way to honour Bion is not with polished imitations of thought but with sincere efforts to think. Throughout the collection, the study of the inner life is shown to be vigorous, moving into new territory and following more subtle and layered paths.

The contributors examine with precision the ways people deceive themselves and weigh the complexity of our longing for truth and for lived experience. The book will interest psychoanalysts, clinicians and students of psychoanalytic thought who want to see how Bion's ideas are being extended today.