Melanie Klein Revisited: Pioneer and Revolutionary in the Psychoanalysis of Young Children

While much writing has been devoted to the Kleinian and post-Kleinian development of Klein’s work, especially with regard to adult psychoanalysis, comparatively little has been written about the ongoing importance and character of Klein’s clinical work for contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy or analysis with very small children. In the twenty-first century, little attention has been paid to the revolutionary character of her work with this age group, or to her recognition of the importance of mother-infant relations.

This book is concerned primarily with Klein’s work with pre-latency children and aims to give these small children more of the voice today that Klein herself discovered. Among important new sources are the treatment notes published in Claudia Frank’s seminal book Melanie Klein in Berlin, a rare exception to the current trend of publication for those interested in Klein’s child work.

Melanie Klein Revisited is relevant to professionals working in a wide range of contexts from a range of professional bases, as well as child psychoanalytic psychotherapists and analysts. It will also be of interest to those concerned with the history and development of child psychoanalysis, and especially those interested in Melanie Klein’s work in the UK and abroad.