Damian Tabarovsky's Medical Autobiography

Damian Tabarovsky's 'Autobiographie médicale', published by Éditions Bourgois, chronicles a life where illness repeatedly derails professional success. From a herniated disc to a duodenal ulcer, ingrown toenail, and cytomegalovirus, his body seems to sabotage his ambitions. Tabarovsky moves through roles as a sociologist at a consulting firm, documentary producer, street vendor, and consultant again, each shift accompanied by a new ailment. The book explores whether these illnesses are metaphors for capitalism, solitude, or fragility, but insists that illness itself is not a metaphor—it erupts as a symptom that demands critical thought. Through paradoxes and digressions, Tabarovsky dissects banality with humor and irony, turning tragedy into absurdity. The work was reviewed by Olivier Renault.