The Son's Secret

This new book by Massimo Recalcati focuses on the psycho-social life of the son. Comparing and contrasting the tragic story of Oedipus by Sophocles and the parable of the prodigal son, Recalcati argues that all common parenting strategies, whether authoritarian or democratic, are attempts at sealing the fate of sons – that is, they are designed to ensure that sons realize the dreams and fantasies of the parents. But all that sons want – and this is their secret because they generally do not want, or are unable, to confront their parents directly – is to be recognized as unique, as different, as independent, free-thinking individuals who are able to chart their own path in life, rather than extensions of their parents' fantasies. The parents' task is to acknowledge this, and to create the space for this desire to flourish.

Continuing his remarkable reflections on parents, children and family life, this new book by one of Italy's leading and bestselling public intellectuals will be of interest to a wide general readership.

Part One

1 Oedipus: The Son of Guilt

The Child’s Condition

The Word and Language

The Slave-Messenger

Oedipus, The Son

The Innocent-Guilty

Infanticide

Violence Without Law

A Tragedy of Light

Nemesis

‘You Are the Curse, the Corruption of this Land’

Oedipus and Hamlet

Descending into the Grave

How Much Truth Can One Man Bear?

Notes

Part Two

2 The Prodigal Son

The Rain

Another Son to Bend the Law of Destiny

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

‘Give Me My Share of the Estate!’

A Bad Interpretation of the Law

Isaac the Son

The Father’s Gift and the Celebration of Rediscovery

The Son’s Return

The Chance For a New Life

Rembrandt’s Portrait

The Rightful Son

Freud on the Acropolis

The Resurrection of Life

The Scar that Becomes a Poem

Notes

Epilogue

Massimo Recalcati is a bestselling author and psychoanalyst who teaches at the universities of Pavia and Verona.