On March 12, 1938, units of the Wehrmacht occupied Austria, peacefully but coercively completing the Anschluss, the incorporation of the country into the Third Reich. This development dramatically overturned the life of Sigmund Freud. The father of psychoanalysis had spent his entire life in the Austrian capital, the "Mecca" of the new science. However, the Nazis viewed psychoanalysis hostilely, considering it an "Jewish" science, which posed dangers for Freud and his family. The USA was willing to accept him, but he preferred Britain, which showed less eagerness. Meanwhile, pogroms against the Jews had begun in Austria...

In his captivating book The Escape of Sigmund Freud, David Cohen examines the incredible story of Freud's rescue by an unexpected savior: Anton Sauerwald, a loyal member of the Austrian National Socialist Party who was simultaneously a secret admirer of Freud! Thanks to him, most of Freud's relatives fled to London, where he lived the last year of his life. Despite the author's research, the true motives of Sauerwald remain unknown, and the case is complicated by the fact that a large portion of Freud's personal archive held at the Library of Congress remains inaccessible to researchers. However, Cohen presents Freud's life and his impact on his immediate environment and modern followers in a fascinating way.

What they said about the book

Independent: This is a very interesting exploration of the dramatic escape of Sigmund Freud from Vienna to London in June 1938. The structure of David Cohen's book gives a sense of an analysis with free associations rather than the thriller promised by the title. His writing, however, is passionate, sometimes ironic, and always captivating.

dailymail: ...an excellent introduction to the life and work of Freud, filled with captivating ideas and unpublished stories.

publishersweekly: Psychologist, filmmaker, and author Cohen narrates how Freud managed to leave Vienna, thanks to the great help of an Austrian Nazi official, Anton Sauerwald, who saved Freud's son, Martin, from almost certain arrest and oversaw the relocation of a thousand works of art from Freud's residence. Besides this story, Cohen briefly outlines a biography of Freud and his extended family, providing information that is not widely known.... overall, however, Cohen's book is informative, entertaining, and in some cases, captivating.