Part 1: The Throne, Pages 3-16 Summary and Analysis

Kapuscinski relates the conditions of Ethiopia upon his arrival. It was still then an oppressed nation governed by a harsh dictatorship. He had to take great care to make sure he was not detected by the government or he may have been arrested. His informants were hesitant to talk to him about the deceased Emperor Haile Sellasie. Many had learned to trust no one. Those who would talk to him were among the few still around of the Emperor's regime. Some had been killed or imprisoned and others had fled the country. He includes none of his informants' real names, for the obvious purpose of protecting their identities.

The Emperor was a small, thin man. He slept as little as possible, preferring instead to spend his time tending to his Empire. His first...