Rodzinne historie choroby. (Auto)patografie jako zapisy (między)pokoleniowych traum
Family Histories . Representations of Transgenerational Trauma in Contemporary Polish Illness Narratives

Summary/Abstract: This article attempts to present and analyze examples of a phenomenon of embedding individual experiences of illness in the context of their social determinants in contemporary (auto)pathographies. The three case studies which are the main focus of this texts are examples of broadly understood (auto)patographic literature published in Poland recent years: Jak nie zabiłem swojego ojca i jak bardzo tego żałuję by Mateusz Pakuła (2021), Mireczek by Aleksandra Zbroja (2021), and Jak płakać w miejscach publicznych by Emilia Dłużewska (2023). The analysis will foreground the ways of representing unprocessed, collective historical trauma, which, as Michał Bilewicz (Traumaland) pointed out, is inherent to the functioning of contemporary Polish society. Focusing on this aspect will point to a phenomenon that Lisa Diedrich described as the manifestation of “national arts of being ill” in (auto)pathographic narratives (Treatments . Language, Politics and the Culture of Illness). It also allows to appreciate the emancipatory and community-building potential of the presented texts, the importance of which in critical analyses of malady literature was emphasized by Klaudia Muca (Tekst jako terapia).

• Details
• Contents