Sigmund Freud , his life and his brilliant theories have been the subject of study and controversy over the years. Born in 1856, Freud is a box of surprises.

Before you start reading the 10 facts about Sigmund Freud, we recommend that you read the following articles which delve into some aspects of the life of the Czech therapist.

“Sigmund Freud: life and work of the famous psychoanalyst”

“Sigmund Freud’s Theory of the Unconscious”

“Freud and his strange relationship with cocaine”

Let’s get to know the 10 unknown aspects and some curiosities about the life of Sigmund Freud .

Ten things you didn’t know or curiosities about Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis

1. Whatever it takes to read Don Quixote

Sigmund Freud learned Spanish in order to read Miguel de Cervantes’ famous work, “Don Quixote” . An unequivocal sign of his determination to discover new realities and cultures.

2. A genius from a young age

The great elegance and wisdom that flowed from his writings as a student were recognized and rewarded for their exceptionality. For this reason, Freud won, among other awards, the Goethe Prize for literature in 1930.

3. What does a woman want?

Sigmund Freud once said: “The great question that has never been answered and to which I have not been able to give a convincing explanation despite my thirty years of research into the female psyche, is: what does a woman want? . It is not surprising that he made this reflection, since throughout his career he analyzed many female patients with different psychological disorders.

4. Missions between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud

Albert Einstein once sent a letter to Freud asking him “Why the war?” . The different written conversations that the two geniuses had were published by the psychoanalyst in two of his works: “The Future of an Illusion” (1927) and “The Unrest in Culture” (1930).

5. Freud’s dog

Sigmund Freud had a pedigree dog chow chow named “Topsy”. Freud considered him practically an assistant during the psychoanalysis sessions he gave to his various patients. Once, the Czech stated: “I prefer the company of animals to that of humans; they are much simpler” .

6. Your daughter, Anna Freud

Freud psychoanalyzed his daughter, Anna . In his work “They hit a child” from 1919, Sigmund Freud exposes four cases or profiles of women , one of which makes explicit reference to his own daughter, Anna Freud. Decades later, Anna Freud explained in an article entitled “Relationship between flagellation fantasies and daydreaming” some conclusions about her own person. Most probably, some data and reflections are based on the psychoanalysis carried out by her father.

7. Your aversion to new clothes

Among other oddities, Sigmund Freud was little (very little) flirty . He hated buying new clothes, and was only allowed to own three suits, three changes of underwear and no more than two pairs of shoes. A lesson in austerity.

8. The cancer you suffered

Sigmund Freud had to undergo more than thirty operations because of a problematic cancer in the oral cavity that he suffered. He was fitted with a mandibular and palatal prosthesis, which was poorly tolerated by Freud and prevented him from speaking normally.

9. A crater of the moon is named after him

In honour of the memory of the wise psychoanalyst, a small lunar crater discovered shortly after Sigmund’s death was named “Freud” . This is one of the less known curiosities and it shows the importance of this historical thinker.

10. Your taste for collection

Freud was a true collector . Among the things he kept, his favorites were antique statuettes. He also liked to walk and pick mushrooms in the woods, and play cards.

A documentary to get to know Sigmund Freud better

We leave you with this magnificent documentary on the life and thought of Sigmund Freud.