Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

Boxing has fascinated writers since antiquity. On the one hand, it is a cultural phenomenon that takes the form of a spectacle, and on the other, as a textual motif, it invites us to search for meaning lying beyond the ring and physical fight. Leopold Tyrmand exploits this meaningful potential in his short story
To win means to think (Zwycieżać znaczy myśleć). The article discusses the piece in the context of 1950s culture and shows how boxing pursued a strategy of resistance to oppressive power. Indeed, the story of the young boxer becomes a story about society and carries a political message. The analysis refers, among others, to the findings of Loїc Wacquant, which helps expose the elements of the pugilistic habitus created by Tyrmand in such a way that reinforces the ideological message of the work.