Pathography in the Rhythm of the Heart

Rok, w którym nie umarłem by Mikołaj Grynberg

Abstract

The article proposes interpreting Mikołaj Grynberg’s book Rok, w którym nie umarłem (The Year I Didn’t Die) as a pathographic narrative. In this type of narrative, storytelling becomes a strategy for sustaining life and regaining a sense of self after experiencing a sudden heart attack. By placing illness within a narrative framework, it shifts from the domain of medicine to the sphere of lived experience and meaning-making. Rather than clinical data and therapeutic procedures, we are presented with an intimate account oscillating between feelings of control, helplessness, fear, and agency. A narratological analysis reveals that the structure of Grynberg’s book – composed of short, rhythmic chapters reminiscent of heartbeats – mirrors the dynamics of the borderline experience while simultaneously organising the narrative’s chaos. As a “writer-patient,” the author uses his literary skills to reconstruct his physical and existential crisis, transforming it into a communicable story that breaks the monopoly of medical discourse and gives voice to the patient. The article contextualises this approach within the framework of medical humanities and pathography research, emphasising the contemporary shift from eschatology to the subjective perspective of patients, who are often isolated and alone. The article argues that pathographic “storytelling to live” not only helps domesticate trauma and break the cultural silence surrounding suffering, but also has a therapeutic dimension. It gives illness a form that enables understanding, renegotiation of identity, and practices of care for both physical and metaphysical healing.