Description
Book SynopsisIn the first posthumous monograph on Ryszard Kapuściński’s life and work, Beata Nowacka and Zygmunt Ziątek confront the mixed reception of the writer’s use of the Polish concept of literary reportage, located on the border between journalism and artistic prose, and identify this tension as the driving force behind Kapuściński’s legacy.
Trade Review“An exceedingly subtle, richly empathetic, and methodically thoroughgoing work, Ryszard Kapuściński succeeds in painting an engrossing portrait of a man who, as the authors claim, was protean and extraordinarily difficult to pin down. In so doing they demystify his status as a modern Herodotus – an impression that is enhanced by Lindsay Davidson’s virtuoso translation. This work, offering glimpses into Kapuściński’s life in a periodization that follows the trajectories of his reportage, is a true page turner.” George Gasyna, University of Illinois and author of Polish, Hybrid, and Otherwise: Exilic Discourse in Joseph Conrad and Witold Gombrowicz
“This artistic biography of the renowned Polish poet, writer, and journalist was inspired by his oeuvre. To signal their reliance on Kapuściński’s creative output, which is historical as well as personal, Nowacka and Ziątek use quotes from relevant works as titles of the book's chapters. The idea is to demonstrate the simultaneity of the processes of the deepening and broadening of Kapuściński’s explorations of the world and his inner self. Highly recommended.” Choice
