Analytica: Revista de Psicanálise
On-line version ISSN 2316-5197
Abstract
AFONSO, Rodrigo and MANDELBAUM, Belinda. Psychoanalysis and its pioneers in Brazil: notes on the "vigorous psychoanalyst" Karl Weissmann. Analytica [online]. 2017, vol.6, n.11, pp.34-68. ISSN 2316-5197.
The discussion that we propose in this paper is part of the History of Psychoanalysis in Brazil. In this text, we present elements of the life and thought of an author of particular interest for this field: the Austrian Karl Weissmann. We investigate the period that involves his arrival in Brazil and the years he lived in Minas Gerais, and conclude our research in the year 1959, when he moved to Rio de Janeiro. As we demonstrate throughout this work, there are several reasons why we are interested in such a personality. We point out that, since the 1930s, his name circulated among intellectuals from Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. Throughout this decade, as a result of the publication of his first book, Weissmann even exchanged letters with Freud. Moreover, he became famous for discussing psychoanalysis in various fields, proposing links between psychoanalytic theory and other fields of knowledge, such as Economics and Criminology. We can also observe how Weissmann became a pop star, being prominent in newspapers and magazines of great national circulation, with the publication of texts and tests inspired by Psychoanalysis. Finally we highlight the good relations between Weissmann and psychoanalysts of great importance in Brazil, like Werner Kemper and Leão Cabernite. In this way, we recognize Weissmann's insertion in a wide range of debates that have crossed the History of Psychoanalysis in the country, which gives it a great importance in this field of research, despite the scarcity of studies related to its course.
Keywords : History of Psychoanalysis; Karl Weissmann; Minas Gerais; Rio de Janeiro.