Illness and archives: Medicine in Leo Lipski’s works

Abstract

The article attempts to prove that illness is the central theme in Leo Lipski’s literary works
and archival materials. The author starts with an analysis of the significance of medical
aspects in the writer’s life (Lipski’s family history, traumatic childhood experiences, his disability and work as a doctor’s assistant) and his intellectual fascination with the theme recurring in his works. In the main part of the article the author searches for the sources of the writer’s inspiration in the not yet published texts (letters and notes), assuming that Lipski’s
archives are inextricably linked with his literary work. The materials from the archives are divided into three categories on the basis of their relation to the writer’s published texts: a) language prostheses and narrative prostheses; b) references; c) rejected materials. A detailed
analysis, included in the following subchapters, of the materials from each of the three
categories allows to shed new light on various themes recurring in Lipski’s published works,
on their origins and even on the troublesome issue of (co-)authorship of some of the works.
Finally, the author concludes that Lipski’s interests and experiences (diseases, disabilities, disorders) were crucial in his choice of creative strategies. Moreover, medical themes were
a constant characteristic of his literary imagination, and provided a significant intertextual reference in his literary works.