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Original Essays | October 18, 2009

Victoria Hislop: IMG From Leprosy to Lorca — Strange Inspiration



My first novel, The Island, was inspired by a chance visit to a tiny island leper colony off the coast of Greece on our summer holiday. It was a... Continue »
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6 Burnside Africa- Ethiopia
6 Local Warehouse Biography- General
7 Remote Warehouse Biography- Royalty

This title in other formats:

The Emperor

by Ryszard Kapuscinski

The Emperor Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Haile Selassie, King of Kings, Elect of God, Lion of Judah, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, reigned from 1930 until he was overthrown by the army in 1974. While the fighting still raged, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Poland's leading foreign correspondent, traveled to Ethiopia to seek out and interview Selassie's servants and closest associates on how the Emperor had ruled and why he fell. This "sensitive, powerful...history" (The New York Review of Books) is Kapuscinski's rendition of their accounts — humorous, frightening, sad, grotesque — of a man living amidst nearly unimaginable pomp and luxury while his people teetered between hunger and starvation.

Review:

"A stunning exhibit; the interview subjects...enunciated their memories of the days of Haile Selassie with a magical elegance that...achieves poetry and aphorism." John Updike, The New Yorker

Review:

"[The Emperor] transcends reportage, becoming a nightmare of power... An unforgettable, fiercely comic, and finally compassionate book." Salman Rushdie

Review:

"Kapuscinski transcends the limitations of journalism and writes withthe narrative power of a Conrad or Kipling or Orwell." Blake Morrison

Synopsis:

This is Kapuscinski's rendition of Selassie's servants and closest associates accounts — humorous, frightening, sad, grotesque — of a man living amidst nearly unimaginable pomp and luxury while his people teetered between hunger and starvation.

About the Author

Ryszard Kapuscinski is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's preeminent journalists, demonstrating an almost mystical ability to discover the odd or overlooked and incorporating these sometimes surreal details into narratives that go beyond mere reportage and enter the realm of literature. His works includes Another Day of Life, The Shadow of the Sun, Imperium, and The Soccer War.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780679722038
Translator:
Brand, William R.
Translator:
Mroczkowska-Brand, Katarzyna
Translator:
Brand, William R.
Author:
Kapuscinski, Ryszard
Author:
Mroczkowska-Brand, Katarzyna
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Africa
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Biography
Subject:
History
Subject:
Ethiopia
Subject:
Africa - Ethiopia
Subject:
Ethiopia Kings and rulers Biography.
Subject:
Africa - General
Subject:
Africa - East - Ethiopia
Subject:
Haile Selassie
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Vintage Books
Series Volume:
t. 448
Publication Date:
March 1989
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
176
Dimensions:
812x510x46 41

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