Dysfunkcje ciała, dysfunkcje umysłu. Niepełnosprawność w Komentarzach do fotografii Witolda Wirpszy

Abstract

This article offers an interpretation of two poems by Witold Wirpsza from the collection Comments on Photographs (1962). The study examines the grotesque deformations generated by poetry through its engagement with photographs depicting individuals in crisis situations-such as hunger, homelessness, and orphanhood-featured in the exhibition The Family of Man. These distortions construct a form of physicality and mentality described as dysfunctional. The analysis also addresses the poet’s ambiguous stance: while opposing ableist practices that exclude people with disabilities, he simultaneously stigmatizes deviations from normative standards.