"Scenes from Life in the Empire" — a review of "Imperium"

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Author: Izabella Sariusz-Skapska. Source: Znak no. 3/1994. Published: 1994-03-01

The material for describing the Empire was supplied to Ryszard Kapuściński by notes from several journeys, begun at a time when even the greatest dreamers had not dared imagine they would live to hear the Soviet Union referred to in the past tense. Kapuściński describes his encounters with that world in three acts, so to speak. The First Encounter (1939–1967) begins with the entry of Soviet troops into the author’s hometown, Pinsk in Polesie. The Second Encounter contains the section A Bird’s-Eye View (1989–1991), set at the twilight of the communist colossus, when Kapuściński, like “an ubiquitous reporter,” traversed many republics — the counter on those expeditions clicking over “some 60,000 kilometres.” And finally — the third act: The Sequel Continues (1992–1993). In other words: is the succession after the Empire still up for grabs? Or is this ending simply a journalist’s trick — never closing a topic? A threatening memento…

Imperium

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Edition I Year: 1993 Print run: 85,000 copies

Edition II Year: 1994 Print run: 10,000 copies

Edition III Year: 1996 Print run: 8,000 copies

Edition IV Year: 1997 Print run: 7,000 copies

Edition V Year: 1999 Print run: 8,000 copies

Edition VI Year: 2000 Print run: 6,000 copies

Edition VII Year: 2001 Print run: 5,000 copies

Edition VIII Year: 2001 Print run: 3,000 copies

Edition IX Year: 2002 Print run: 5,000 copies

Pogranicza on kapuscinski.info

"Scenes from Life in the Empire" — a review of "Imperium"

Imperium