Scope and Content Note
The papers of Silvano Arieti (1914-1981) span the years 1914-1981, with the bulk from the period 1940-1981. The collection primarily documents Arieti’s work as an author and editor of scholarly works relating to psychoanalysis and schizophrenia. The papers are arranged into the following series: Correspondence , Speeches and Writings , Subject File , Restricted , and Oversize . Educated in Italy, Arieti immigrated to the United States in 1939, where he continued his education in psychoanalysis, eventually becoming a psychiatrist and expert on schizophrenia. His numerous publications and articles cover a variety of topics in the field of psychoanalysis, and the second edition of his work, Interpretation of Schizophrenia, won the National Book Award for science in 1975.
The Correspondence series contains personal and professional correspondence covering a variety of interests. Correspondents of special note include Leon Edel, Primo Levi, Arieti’s protégé, Marco Bacciagaluppi, and members of the Milan Group for the Advancement of Psychotherapy, a collective of notable Italian psychoanalysts. Correspondence has been kept in Arieti’s original order, and correspondents may be represented in both an alphabetical and a chronological file.
The Speeches and Writings series contains articles, publications, peer reviews, and lectures written by Arieti throughout his career. The publications include drafts, reviews, correspondence and other material related to his books.
The Subject File series contains personal records and professional material falling outside the scope of Arieti’s writings. This includes records from his time spent as editor of the American Handbook of Psychiatry, World Biennial of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, and the Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, as well as conferences and lectures where Arieti was invited to speak. Another notable subject is Arieti’s assistance to John Holbrook in evaluating Jack Rubenstein (Jack Ruby) for his trial for murdering Lee Harvey Oswald. Other topics in the Subject File include personal documents, finances, education, and publishing information.