Is Kapuściński's reportage still relevant?

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

Ryszard Kapuściński described above all the twentieth century: the decolonisation of Africa, the revolutions of the Third World, dictatorships, civil wars, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the shifts in the global order. One may therefore ask whether his work is still relevant. The world he wrote about has, in many respects, receded into the past. The media, the pace of information, the balance of power, the language of politics and postcolonial awareness are all different. And yet Kapuściński’s books endure because they are not merely records of events. Their main subjects are recurring mechanisms: power, fear, propaganda, war, inequality, the encounter with the Other and the responsibility of the witness.

Kapuściński Quotes on the World and History

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 the world and history — on nationalism, fanaticism, civilisation and the power of questions. Thoughts from Imperium, The Shadow of the Sun, the Lapidarium notebooks and Travels with Herodotus.

📖 See also: all quotes by Kapuściński · Imperium — analysis

World on kapuscinski.info

Is Kapuściński's reportage still relevant?

Kapuściński Quotes on the World and History