The Emperor

About the Book

The Emperor is a literary reportage published in 1978 — one of Ryszard Kapuściński’s most famous books, and the one that brought him international fame. In it he describes the court of the last Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, and the precise, almost ritual machinery of absolute power.

The book came into being in an unusual way: after the monarchy was overthrown in 1974, Kapuściński returned night after night to the emperor’s former courtiers, dignitaries and servants to record their accounts. From their monologues — delivered in an archaic, servile language — he built a polyphonic portrait of the court, in which every detail, from the man in charge of the cushion to the lapdog allowed to relieve itself on dignitaries’ shoes, served to uphold the ruler’s majesty.

The Emperor is, however, far more than a portrait of a single monarch. It is a universal anatomy of despotism — a study of how a court works, how servility, intrigue and fear are born, and how power decays once it loses touch with reality. In communist Poland the book was also read as a veiled satire on the mechanisms of the regime. It has been translated into dozens of languages and successfully adapted for the stage, among others at London’s Royal Court Theatre.

Historical Background

Haile Selassie I ruled Ethiopia for more than 40 years (1930–1974). His reign ended with a revolution that overthrew the monarchy and established military junta rule.

Significance

The work is not only a portrait of a particular ruler and his court, but also a universal analysis of the mechanisms of despotic power. The book has been translated into many languages and gained international acclaim.

Polish Editions

See the list of Polish editions of The Emperor with ISBN numbers.

Quotes

“The most important thing is the man, His Imperial Majesty, and everything else can be bought and sold.”