ABSTRACT
Masud Khan’s life could be seen as both triumph and tragedy, for he triumphed in those very things of which he was both sufferer and perpetrator. The balance between pathology and creativity is so fine with Khan that at any moment he might topple in either direction. His roots and the particular background he came from contributed both to his brilliance and to his pathology. Perhaps one of Khan’s central contributions to analysis was his ability, as a clinician, to make a spontaneous gesture towards very disturbed patients rather than a stereotyped clinical response. Khan managed to stir up tremendous anger in some people. In a sense, he met a murky end at the hands of his colleagues, but it should be remembered he was also admired for his vast knowledge and his distinctive and creative style, and he was revered as a distinguished contributor to the international world of psychoanalysis.
