Why Read Klein? the Importance of Melanie Klein’s Work for Contemporary Psychoanalysis

Why Read Klein? explores the importance of Melanie Klein’s work to contemporary psychoanalysis, her contributions as a key early psychoanalyst, and continued influence on contemporary psychoanalysts.

Klein’s seminal work brought in several conceptual contributions that expanded psychoanalytic knowledge, sparking creativity and fostering a vibrant intellectual lineage. Her profound writings and enduring concepts embody a psychoanalytic legacy which has been constantly evolved and developed by various psychoanalysts who have drawn inspiration from her ideas over the years. This book presents the reverberations of her work in various authors, classic and contemporary. With an aim to encourage new forms of therapeutic action and conceptual understanding of her works, Why Read Klein? offers a modern interpretation of her ideas by incorporating films, poetry, and literary texts to illuminate her key concepts.

This book is essential reading for both practicing and in training psychoanalysts and psychotherapists seeking a comprehensive understanding of Klein’s work and its relevance to contemporary clinical thought.

Elisa Maria de Ulhôa Cintra is a Psychoanalyst; Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from Pontifícia Universidade Católica of São Paulo (PUC-SP). She is currently a professor on the Clinical Psychology Post-Graduate Studies Program at PUCSP and the Faculty of Human and Health Sciences at PUCSP. She is also the Coordinator of Laboratory at the Inter-Institutional Laboratory for Studies on Intersubjectivity and Contemporary Psychoanalysis (LIPSIC), and author of books and several articles published in specialized journals.

Marina F. R. Ribeiro, PhD, is a psychoanalyst, full professor and research supervisor and advisor for the Clinical Psychology Postgraduate Program at the University of São Paulo (USP). She is the Coordinator of Laboratory at LIPSIC. She is also the author of several books and papers and most recently co-authored Reading Bion’s Transformation (2024), and edited Why Read Ogden? The Importance ofThomas Ogden’s Works for Contemporary Psychoanalysis (2025).