A chronical illness changes not only our relationship with the world through our body, but also our entire constellation of relationships. Life after being diagnosed with a chronical illness cannot be the same and is a trigger for our entire lifestyle. From now on, it is the chronical illness that dictates our journey, usually by taking away our freedom.
´Die Krankheit machte mich unfrei´. (Sickness took away my freedom - my own translation).
Herr Parkinson by Richard Wagner is his story of being diagnosed with the terrible illness. There is no cure for Parkinson although the medication can milder the effects. Wagner is fine writer and poet and his encounter with his own limitations is a dramatic contribution to the growing literature dedicated to chronical sickness read through literary eyes.
One may not acknowledge at first that this is a memoir and you should do a bit of additional research to figure out. The book is written at the first person, with some gentle references to a ´you´, someone, a woman to whom he is talking with directly. Wagner, born in the Banat part of Romania, was member of the only literary German speaking anti-communist group, Aktionsgruppe Banat. Until a couple of years ago, he was married with Nobel-Prize winner Herta Müller.
As a writer, an intellectual, the betrayal of the body is observed with acuity, but the mind helps to adapt. Currently living in an assisted care facility, he depends on other people, but this dependency helps him survive.
Such testimonies do help understanding not only what does it mean to be faced with a chronical illness diagnosis, but also what does Parkinson really means and at what extent it does affect the body and the mind. It happens to have acquaintances being affected by it and a literary rendition of it adds layers of understanding and empathy which is a noteworthy contribution.
Rating: 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment