The Strange Tale of Sigmund Freud’s Begonia
January 09, 2026 at 05:10AMEmma Freud recounts how receiving a begonia cutting led her to uncover a chain of friendships stretching back to her great-grandfather, Sigmund Freud, who first gifted the plant in the 1930s. Favors, lust, gratitude, and Emma’s own family feud, all told through the history of one begonia’s cuttings—what a way to find your roots.
So as I placed this stumpy green stick on the mantelpiece in my sitting room, I realised it was the only thing I have ever owned with any connection to the man who transformed the way we think about ourselves, and who was also my great-grandfather. He had been sitting in the shadows my entire life until – unexpectedly, in my 60s – someone I barely know shone a tiny light on him. Like a detective who has no idea what they’re looking for, I decided to dig deeper into the chain of events that led finally to my owning a tiny piece of this past.
I looked up the qualities of begonias and found they’re often given as a gift to repay a favour. I knew Tom had given me the cutting in gratitude, but why had his father-in-law given one to him?
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2026/01/08/the-strange-tale-of-sigmund-freuds-begonia/
via IFTTT
Watch