Perspective

Ryszard Kapuscinski was one of the most famous journalists of the 20th century. Serving as Poland's sole foreign correspondent during the Cold War, Kapuscinski witnessed over dozens of revolutions, wars, and coups and was imprisoned one dozens of occasions. He was even sentenced to death several times. Kapuscinski put himself into so much danger because he wanted to learn about the struggles of the peoples in the countries he visited. Kapuscinski indicates that he is particularly interested in how peoples psychologically cope and develop when colonized by a foreign people and how they react when those people leave.

In Imperium, Kapuscinski discusses how former Soviet republics like Armenia reasserted themselves when the Soviet Union weakened and tried to reclaim its religion and its culture. Kapuscinski obviously supported the attempts of nations to recover their lost heritage and considered himself an enemy of the Imperium. However, Kapuscinski often worries...