Power on kapuscinski.info

Kapuściński's books on revolutions and dictators

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ryszard Kapuściński is often associated with travel, Africa and literary reportage, but one of the most important themes of his work is power. He was interested in the moment when a system begins to crumble: the court no longer hears the street, the dictator loses contact with reality, people stop being afraid, and a revolution, instead of the promised order, brings a new chaos. Kapuściński did not write textbooks of political science. He showed the mechanisms of power through a scene, the voice of a witness, the image of a city, a conversation with a person caught up in history. That is why his books on revolutions and dictators are still read not only as documents of an era, but also as universal parables of fear, loyalty, propaganda and collapse.

Quotes from Christ with a Rifle on His Shoulder by Ryszard Kapuściński

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Translation note: Unless a published English translator is named, the wording on this page is an editorial translation from Polish and may differ from the authorised English-language edition.

A selection of the best-known quotes from Christ with a Rifle on His Shoulder by Ryszard Kapuściński — a collection of reportage on the guerrilla movements and liberation struggles of the twentieth century. Quotes on dictatorship, politics and revolution.

📖 See also: summary and analysis · the book’s page

Quotes from Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Translation note: Unless a published English translator is named, the wording on this page is an editorial translation from Polish and may differ from the authorised English-language edition.

A selection of the best-known quotes from Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński — his report on the Iranian revolution and the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Quotes on despotism, revolution and the breaking of fear.

📖 See also: summary and analysis · the book’s page

Kapuściński Quotes on Power and Politics

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Translation note: Unless a published English translator is named, the wording on this page is an editorial translation from Polish and may differ from the authorised English-language edition.

A selection of Ryszard Kapuściński’s quotes on power and politics — on the mechanics of despotism, dictatorship and revolution. Thoughts from The Emperor, Imperium and Shah of Shahs.

📖 See also: all quotes by Kapuściński · The Emperor — analysis

On power and despotism

“The vileness of power comes from this: that a small mind is given great possibilities.” — The Emperor

Quotes from The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuściński

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Translation note: Unless a published English translator is named, the wording on this page is an editorial translation from Polish and may differ from the authorised English-language edition.

A selection of the best-known quotes from The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuściński — his report on the court of Haile Selassie I and the machinery of despotic power. Quotes on power, fear, flattery and the fall of a system.

📖 See also: The Emperor — summary and analysis · the book’s page