The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie Abse
This article explores the complex intersections between the roles of physician and writer, focusing on the interpretive challenges inherent in this twofold identity. The works of Dannie Abse (1923-2014), a Welsh-Jewish writer and chest physician, serve as an ideal case study to explore these epistem...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Firenze University Press
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Lea |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-lea/article/view/16033 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849764093096886272 |
|---|---|
| author | Ilaria Natali |
| author_facet | Ilaria Natali |
| author_sort | Ilaria Natali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores the complex intersections between the roles of physician and writer, focusing on the interpretive challenges inherent in this twofold identity. The works of Dannie Abse (1923-2014), a Welsh-Jewish writer and chest physician, serve as an ideal case study to explore these epistemological tensions and examine some of the intricacies involved in the interdisciplinary relationship between literature and medicine. Abse recounts having experienced trauma as both a healer and a member of the Jewish community during the Holocaust, and much of his personal experience permeates his literary works. This is particularly evident in his medical-themed poetry, where the doctors-speakers reveal a deep sense of guilt and moral responsibility while exhibiting forms of privileged knowledge derived from a combination of their professional roles and a broader human engagement with suffering and loss. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-020c446fb3d84d0a8f4c8ca8dec4cf10 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1824-484X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Firenze University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Lea |
| spelling | doaj-art-020c446fb3d84d0a8f4c8ca8dec4cf102025-08-20T03:05:14ZengFirenze University PressLea1824-484X2025-04-01712914210.36253/lea-1824-484x-1603314870The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie AbseIlaria Natali0Università degli Studi di FirenzeThis article explores the complex intersections between the roles of physician and writer, focusing on the interpretive challenges inherent in this twofold identity. The works of Dannie Abse (1923-2014), a Welsh-Jewish writer and chest physician, serve as an ideal case study to explore these epistemological tensions and examine some of the intricacies involved in the interdisciplinary relationship between literature and medicine. Abse recounts having experienced trauma as both a healer and a member of the Jewish community during the Holocaust, and much of his personal experience permeates his literary works. This is particularly evident in his medical-themed poetry, where the doctors-speakers reveal a deep sense of guilt and moral responsibility while exhibiting forms of privileged knowledge derived from a combination of their professional roles and a broader human engagement with suffering and loss.https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-lea/article/view/16033doctor-writermedical humanitiesjewish heritagesurvivor’s guiltliterature and medicine |
| spellingShingle | Ilaria Natali The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie Abse Lea doctor-writer medical humanities jewish heritage survivor’s guilt literature and medicine |
| title | The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie Abse |
| title_full | The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie Abse |
| title_fullStr | The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie Abse |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie Abse |
| title_short | The Doctor-Writer and the Boundaries of Literariness: The Case of Dannie Abse |
| title_sort | doctor writer and the boundaries of literariness the case of dannie abse |
| topic | doctor-writer medical humanities jewish heritage survivor’s guilt literature and medicine |
| url | https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-lea/article/view/16033 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ilarianatali thedoctorwriterandtheboundariesofliterarinessthecaseofdannieabse AT ilarianatali doctorwriterandtheboundariesofliterarinessthecaseofdannieabse |