Autor: Eleanor Wachtel Źródło: CBC Radio, Writers and Company Data publikacji: 1994

Eleanor Wachtel speaks with Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński about reporting from the front lines

For many years, the celebrated Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński was the Polish Press Agency’s only foreign correspondent. He traveled alone, carrying just a camera, a change of clothes and some cash, because — as he used to say — “The less you have, the better, because to have is to be killed.” A chronicler of 20th century war and revolution, Kapuściński covered more than 30 revolutions, surviving cerebral malaria, close calls with an Egyptian cobra and a scorpion, and four death sentences.

On Creating New Literary Forms

Kapuściński believed journalism needed evolution. He positioned his work between two extremes: fiction focusing on personal narratives, and news media that is “very quick, very superficial and very manipulative.” He aimed to fill the gap with literary reportage offering deeper context.

“There is a space between literature and journalism. Literature is about the personal experience; journalism is very quick, very superficial and very manipulative. I try to fill this space with something that is literary but based on facts, reality. It’s reportage, but literary reportage. This new form must bring the reader closer to understanding what is really happening in the world.”

On Motivation for Dangerous Work

The journalist clarified he didn’t enjoy peril itself. Rather, his professional satisfaction and passion for bearing witness outweighed fear. He acknowledged the profession’s lethal toll: “over 60 of my colleagues are killed” annually. Survival, he noted, came down to fortune.

“I am not attracted to danger. I am attracted to the event, to being there, to witness. When you are there, you are afraid. But you decide that it is more important to be there than to stay safe. This is a conscious choice. Many of my colleagues have died. I survived. It’s a matter of luck, I think.”

Essential Professional Qualities

Three elements defined his approach: intense curiosity, sustained concentration on specific details to uncover truth, and genuine empathy. He emphasized that authentic connection mattered—people detected insincerity when outsiders arrived merely to complete assignments.

“You must have curiosity about the world. You must have the ability to concentrate, to look at small details, because the truth is hidden in details. And you must have empathy. People can feel if you are sincere or not. If you come just to do your job, they will know it. But if you come with genuine interest in their lives, they will talk to you, they will trust you.”

Travel Philosophy

His minimalist approach—camera, spare clothes, cash only—reflected a practical principle: possessions created vulnerability in conflict zones.

“I learned that the less you have, the freer you are. If you carry a lot of baggage, you are attached to things. In dangerous places, this attachment can be fatal. So I travel with almost nothing. A camera, some clothes, some money. That’s all. This way, I can move, I can escape if I need to.”

Źródło: CBC Radio, Writers and Company

źródło: kapuscinski.info