I, Little Asylum - BookWyrm

Paperback, 87 pages

English language

Published Nov. 8, 2014 by Semiotext(e).

ISBN:: 978-1-58435-137-5
OCLC Number:: 878501896

(2 reviews)

Founded in 1951 and renowned in the world of psychiatry, the nonstandard clinic of La Borde sought to break with the traditional internment of the mentally ill, and to have them participate in the material organi- zation of collective life. The clinic owed much to psychoanalyst and philosopher Félix Guattari who was co-director until 1992.

When you live at La Borde as a child whose parents work in the clinic, the place feels mostly like an incredible space of freedom: a castle, an immense park, forests and ponds. Through a series of vignettes painted in impressionistic strokes, Emmanuelle Guattari tenderly evokes the whimsical days of a childhood spent in that extraordinary place.

1 edition

Tessa reviewed I, Little Asylum by Emmanuelle Guattari

Review of 'I Little Asylum Semiotexte' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

In a way this book, or rather, this collection of childhood fragments feels a bit awkward. But then again, I kind of like that? It is not what you expect and we all seem to crave for more anecdotes about the patients at La Borde, and more juicy inside-knowledge about the writer's dad, Felix Guattari.
(For anyone looking for that, rather try Intersecting Lives, the joint biography of Deleuze and Guattari written by Francois Dosse!)
If anything, to read this book is a good reminder to acknowledge what we too often expect from families (let's not forget the ''nuclear family'' concept from AO) or how we expect the ''children of [famous people]'' to perform.

Mika

rated it

May 31