Welcome

Polo Tonka

Conversation with Myself With a Presentation and Commentary by Philippe Jeammet Publication date : March 29, 2017

Polo Tonka is a writer who has suffered from schizophrenia since he was 18 years old. He is now in remission and has decided to share his experiences.

The author describes the pain and suffering he experienced as a schizophrenic, every day of his life. After reaching breaking point, he suddenly discovered the happiness of remission.
But when he suffered a relapse he decided to write about life with this devastating condition. By calling his two parts ‘myself’ and ‘me’, he gives a perfect illustration of the split he feels within himself. Polo Tonka hopes that the therapeutic exercise of writing will enable him to unite his two selves.
‘We don’t know each other well. As if there were a barrier that has always separated us. One and the other, black and white, anxiety and peace… I am happy that this series of interviews will finally allow us to get closer to each other. And I won’t hide anything from you,’ writes Polo Tonka.

• An unusual, highly personal, amazingly lucid testimonial: mental illness seen from the inside in all its unadorned bluntness.
• An exceptional, landmark document that tells us what even psychiatrists ignored.
• A denunciation of all the clichés and falsehoods that have unjustly diabolised schizophrenia.