Etapy przystosowania do niepełnosprawności w cyklu powieściowym Jerzego Szczygła o Tadku Różańskim
Stages of adaptation to disability in Jerzy Szczygieł’s novel series about Tadek Różański

Summary/Abstract: Introduction. The process of psychosocial adaptation to disability may be illustrated by biographical and autobiographical prose. In the case of Jerzy Szczygieł, the activation of the autobiographical attitude is noticeable. The analysis of artistic legacy of this writer ena- bles one to state that his prose was based on similar personal and professional experiences: as a young man, he lost his sight, chose to study Polish philology, began writing literature, and was active in the Polish Association of the Blind. He popularized the image of a blind person in literature, discovering various aspects of his or her functioning.Aim. The aim of this text is to recall the figure and present the work of Jerzy Szczygieł (1932-1983), primarily in the context of his autobiographical attitude and adaptation to a difficult situation (loss of mobility).Materials and methods. The subject of analysis and research reflection is a series of novels, including: Blackthorns (1960), Earth without sun (1968), I’ll never leave you (1972), After the cats’ heads (1976). The theoretical framework for the considerations undertaken is the concept of Disability Studies, including the stages of adaptation to disability. I treat Małgo- rzata Czermińska’s concept of autobiographical attitude as a methodological path, and I also take into account social and cultural phenomena (as part of an interdisciplinary approach).Results and conclusion. J. Szczygieł’s tetralogy about Tadek Różański shows the entire complexity of the psychological situation of young people in war and post-war times. A spe- cial place in it is occupied by the image of the main character of the series struggling with difficulties. J. Szczygieł builds his literary space by carrying out various types of transforma- tions to the issue of vision loss. The novels also motivate a deeper examination of the author’s work, also from the perspective of the blind person’s workshop. The article emphasizes the thesis that visual impairment does not become an inhibitor in the selection of the topics of creativity, but it favours the authors’ focusing on their own biography and life experiences.

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