Melanie Klein was probably the most controversial and influential figure that has yet appeared on the British psychoanalytic scene. She left Germany in 1926 and settled in London where she soon quarrelled with Anna Freud. Klein pioneered the psychoanalysis of children and applied her insights on the infantile origins of unconscious drives to adult analysis. Her relationship with her own children was highly troubled. In this critical yet sympathetic book Meira Likierman of the Tavistock clinic assesses the work, life and lasting influence of this brilliant figure.