Imperium

It is difficult to classify this book as a memoir or a book of poetic prose. Kapuscinski's tales of his travels truly illustrate the resounding failure that collectivism is and was. The seventy years of waste, and the ongoing economic, ecological, and personal disasters that were created are all poignantly illustrated with a deftness of hand which leaves an indelible impression on the reader. As Radzinsky's `Stalin' gives an accountant's balance sheet of the Communist disaster, Kapuscinski gives us the artist's.

I reccomend this book for begginer Journalists. It's amazing to find out how a journalist can analyse and describe so well the issues of a rising new nation, from the roots and pains of an old empire. Ryszard is a outstanding reporter, an outstanding author. You realize, for sure, how great is to be a journalist. I am sure that you gonna think twice if you REALLY knew something about Soviet Union. By the Way, I also reccomend this book to Boris Yeltsin...

IMPERIUM by Ryszard Kapuscinski This is one of the most important books of the century, ranking with ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, and THE CATCHER IN THE RYE in its intensity and ability to leave an impression. It deals with the author's experiences in travelling throughout the vast stretches of the crumbling soviet empire "Imperium" during the last days of its existence. He notices the things that only a Pole in his perverse and observant way does. He has a dry and unique style and thanks to the brilliant translation into English, his nuances come through shining and memorable. He saw the sham of communism and saw it for what it was, he exposed the nonsense of the barbed wire, the stupid logic of keeping the borders fenced in, the enslavement and imprisonment of millions. Kapuscinski is someone who directly endured the rule of the system and in his chosen profession of journalist, which presented its own problems. This is not some outsider, but someone writing from the heart, but at the same time distancing himself from it and gleaning the essentials in order to preserve forever and for all the incredible. That it is thus so seemingly simply written is an illusion. Each page can be re-read many times because it is so concentrated and filled with wondrous tales of hazardous and eventful trips to Armenia, Siberia, the Aral Sea and the desperate outer fringes of this vast land. Many incredible people were encountered along the way, one feels, that many were like him, enduring the sternness of a system designed to enslave and persist with a lie. Most endured with a wryness and a pragmatic approach of existence, taking each day as it came. That this system has ended for ever, please God willing, is in large part thanks to people like the author, whose good sense has been to record the incredible truth. IMPERIUM is a continuation of telling the truth that started in other equally bizarre stories like his EMPEROR, about Hailie Salassie, and SHAH OF SHAHS, about the Shah of Iran. Slim volumes all, but so, so evocative and lingering in the mind for years. Who can forget the official door-opener, or the cushion-bearer who travelled the world carrying an assortment of cushions and pillows to raise his height-disadvantaged imperial employer to match the chairs he encountered everywhere, whether in the White House or Buckingham Palace ? Good triumphs over evil, it always will. But it takes a long, long time and much pain. How many more years must the poor Armenians endure their plight? Who speaks for them ? Who speaks for the countless millions murdered and broken by decades of communism ? Kapuscinski is one. There are not many others. IMPERIUM is one of those books you should read. It's an incredible book that stays in the mind. Once you read it you'll be glad you did and you'll want to recommend it to everyone you meet. George Wallner Jakarta Indonesia