Rony Alfandary

A Psychoanalytic Study of Lawrence Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet: Exile and Return focuses on the dialogue created by literature and psychoanalysis in an individual’s quest to explore existential issues, such as a sense of belonging to a homeland and a recurring sense of the Uncanny (das unheimliche). Rony Alfandary explores Durrell’s attempt to recreate a sense of belonging to a homeland, which perhaps never existed but can be retraced and reinvented through writing.This book studies some issues present in Durrell’s work: the connection between biographical and fictional elements in the study of literature the influence of early Freudian theoretical themes upon the writer later influences including post-modern and hermeneutic theoriesThe life and work of Lawrence Durrell can serve as a prototype of a man’s quest for meaning, in a world caught in turmoil in the period between and during WW2. The author’s psychoanalytic exploration of the work and its relevance to human experience today, shows how the themes Durrell dealt with remain relevant. Alfandary highlights the ways in which his usage of several author narrative styles exemplifies the divergent and often contradictory nature of "Truth", emerging rather as multi-layered, multi-voiced and often torn sense of human subjectivity.A Psychoanalytic Study of Lawrence Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet: Exile and Return demonstrates Durrell’s strong influence by psychoanalytic thought and will appeal to both psychoanalytic and literary scholars.

A Psychoanalytic Study of Lawrence Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet: Exile and Return focuses on the dialogue created by literature and psychoanalysis in an individual’s quest to explore existential issues, such as a sense of belonging to a homeland and a recurring sense of the Uncanny (das unheimliche). Rony Alfandary explores Durrell’s attempt to recreate a sense of belonging to a homeland, which perhaps never existed but can be retraced and reinvented through writing.This book studies some issues present in Durrell’s work: the connection between biographical and fictional elements in the study of literature the influence of early Freudian theoretical themes upon the writer later influences including post-modern and hermeneutic theoriesThe life and work of Lawrence Durrell can serve as a prototype of a man’s quest for meaning, in a world caught in turmoil in the period between and during WW2. The author’s psychoanalytic exploration of the work and its relevance to human experience today, shows how the themes Durrell dealt with remain relevant. Alfandary highlights the ways in which his usage of several author narrative styles exemplifies the divergent and often contradictory nature of "Truth", emerging rather as multi-layered, multi-voiced and often torn sense of human subjectivity.A Psychoanalytic Study of Lawrence Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet: Exile and Return demonstrates Durrell’s strong influence by psychoanalytic thought and will appeal to both psychoanalytic and literary scholars.

Creativity and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Times of War, Exile, and Trauma draws upon decades of clinical experience to illuminate the unique challenges and profound insights that emerge when practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapy within a multifaceted social terrain. With reference to clinical case material and theoretical insight, Alfandary offers readers unprecedented access to therapeutic work conducted in Israel amid ongoing cultural tensions, military conflicts, and intergenerational trauma. Drawing from Winnicott, Bion, Klein, and Freud, the author explores how exile, trauma, and war fracture both individual identity and the social fabric, and how these ruptures can also spark unexpected creativity and growth. The book also covers a range of themes, including immigration, cross-cultural work, military trauma and antisemitism, revealing how psychoanalytic practice adapts and responds to Israel's distinctive social pressures while offering universal insights into human resilience, trauma recovery, and the therapeutic relationship. Creativity and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Times of War, Exile, and Trauma will be of great interest to psychoanalytic psychotherapists, social workers and psychologists. It will also be relevant for academics and scholars of trauma studies, literary studies and interdisciplinary researchers.

Creativity and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Times of War, Exile, and Trauma draws upon decades of clinical experience to illuminate the unique challenges and profound insights that emerge when practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapy within a multifaceted social terrain. With reference to clinical case material and theoretical insight, Alfandary offers readers unprecedented access to therapeutic work conducted in Israel amid ongoing cultural tensions, military conflicts, and intergenerational trauma. Drawing from Winnicott, Bion, Klein, and Freud, the author explores how exile, trauma, and war fracture both individual identity and the social fabric, and how these ruptures can also spark unexpected creativity and growth. The book also covers a range of themes, including immigration, cross-cultural work, military trauma and antisemitism, revealing how psychoanalytic practice adapts and responds to Israel's distinctive social pressures while offering universal insights into human resilience, trauma recovery, and the therapeutic relationship. Creativity and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Times of War, Exile, and Trauma will be of great interest to psychoanalytic psychotherapists, social workers and psychologists. It will also be relevant for academics and scholars of trauma studies, literary studies and interdisciplinary researchers.

Through the collection of letters sent by members of a Jewish family between 1923 and 1942, this fascinating book explores phenomenological and psychoanalytical aspects of the Holocaust and its associated trauma, and the impact on future generations of the same family.This book charts a postmemorial study of the Cohen family of Salonica which branched out to Paris and Tel-Aviv during the 1920s and 1930s. The exploration of the contents of four boxes containing hundreds of letters, pictures and other documents portray a microhistory of one family that was once a part of a thriving community. Showing how the shadows of trauma can be passed through the generations, the book uncovers the tragedies that befell the Cohen family, and how the discovery of these materials has affected existing family members.In an intriguing work of postmemory research and analysis, this book appeals to both scholars of the Holocaust and psychoanalysts interested in the unconscious impact of history.

Through the collection of letters sent by members of a Jewish family between 1923 and 1942, this fascinating book explores phenomenological and psychoanalytical aspects of the Holocaust and its associated trauma, and the impact on future generations of the same family.This book charts a postmemorial study of the Cohen family of Salonica which branched out to Paris and Tel-Aviv during the 1920s and 1930s. The exploration of the contents of four boxes containing hundreds of letters, pictures and other documents portray a microhistory of one family that was once a part of a thriving community. Showing how the shadows of trauma can be passed through the generations, the book uncovers the tragedies that befell the Cohen family, and how the discovery of these materials has affected existing family members.In an intriguing work of postmemory research and analysis, this book appeals to both scholars of the Holocaust and psychoanalysts interested in the unconscious impact of history.

The emotional abuse of children is recognized as a significant cause for mental disturbances. However, opinions vary on what can be considered as emotional abuse. On the one hand, emotional abuse is seen to be embedded within Western culture child-rearing practice, thus turning every parent into a potential abuser. On the other hand, emotional abuse is seen as a symptom of dysfunctional families, only affecting a limited number. I suggest that the detection of emotional abuse of children needs to take into account cultural practices of child-rearing as it runs along a continuum of severity. The ecological model attempts to describe the conditions for the occurrence of emotional abuse which can assist social workers who work directly with children at risk and offer them assistance which can sometimes prevent later pathology.