Acknowledgments

THIS BOOK WAS A LONG TIME IN GESTATION AND MANY COLLEAGUES AND friends have helped along the way. My participation in the Lacanian Forum over many years under the leadership of John Muller introduced me to Lacanian thinking. The invitation of André Green to attend the annual colloquia of the Paris Psychoanalytic Society helped me to appreciate his contributions, as well as those of many French colleagues. Teaching at the Universite de Lyon 2 in the Department of Clinical Psychopathology, where I was able to work with Rene Roussillon and other distinguished faculty members, was also invaluable in broadening my frame of reference. Long conversations with the late Jacques Hassoun, André Michels, and Paola Mieli enlightened me about Lacanian theory and practice. Arnold Modell has been generous with time and encouragement. Other important readers and colleagues include Sabine Giesbert, James Frosch, Peter Lawner, Harry Penn, Andrew Morrison, Peter Rudnytsky, Dominque Scarfone, Paul Israël, Jean and Monique Cournut, and other members of my francophone study group. Jacques Mauger of Montreal and I have co-led a discussion group on clinical applications of Lacanian theory to practice at meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association over many years. Paul Stepansky provided valuable editorial advice and Meredith Freedman helped get my final manuscript into publishable shape. Finally, I thank the staff at the IMEC archives in Paris for their help with my research on Louis Althusser.