Birth of the Other

Originally published as Naissance de l' Autre (1980), Birth
of the Other offers a rare look at language acquisition from a Lacanian
perspective. In 1951-52 Rosine Lefort conducted the treatment of two largely
preverbal children, guiding them through psychoanalysis and meticulously
documenting their activities. Lefort has applied her subsequent training
in Lacanian theory to these early case notes, which provide remarkably
lucid examples of exceedingly difficult concepts.
This exceptional work thus clarifies many misconceptions about psychoanalytic
theory, furnishes unique insight into what Lacan calls the "time
of analysis," and grants a clearer understanding of the relationship
between language and the unconscious.
"Anyone interested in
Lacan's psychoanalytical theories should not fail to read these revealing
clinical studies by one of Lacan's most authoritative and lucid interpreters."
-- Herman Rapaport, author of Between the Sign and the Gaze