Imperium
by Ryszard Kapuściński
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 139)
Read in February, 2005
recommends it for:
Historians, Journalists, Commies
"Imperium" was the first Ryszard Kapuscinski book I read. I have since bought and read each of this other books if that tells you anything.
Kapuscinski was (he died early this year) a Polish Journalist extraordinaire who spent his life (he nearly died numerous times in the field) covering Coups, Wars and any other havoc he could fly into.
Imperium is about his travels, by plane, train, car, horse, whatever through the Soviet Union...more specifically: Siberia. The heartbreak he ...more
Kapuscinski was (he died early this year) a Polish Journalist extraordinaire who spent his life (he nearly died numerous times in the field) covering Coups, Wars and any other havoc he could fly into.
Imperium is about his travels, by plane, train, car, horse, whatever through the Soviet Union...more specifically: Siberia. The heartbreak he ...more
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Read in December, 2007
This is written by a Polish journalist -in three distinct time periods in the Soviet and former Soviet Union: 1939 to 1967, 1989 to 1991, and 1992 to 1993.
As he is travelling (a lot of Central Asia and Siberia) he delves into history, politics, mythology... seamlessly leaping from first person encounters into the stories of a place. In his leaps he reminds me of Sebald. And the things that he describes often seem impossible, fantastical... but they are real. It would be great to read t...more
As he is travelling (a lot of Central Asia and Siberia) he delves into history, politics, mythology... seamlessly leaping from first person encounters into the stories of a place. In his leaps he reminds me of Sebald. And the things that he describes often seem impossible, fantastical... but they are real. It would be great to read t...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone
This is HEAVY. Not heavy, as in tough to read, but heavy as in subject matter and how it's rendered. Even translated from the Polish, this is some of the best writing I've ever read. A Polish journalist travels around the Soviet Union during various times, logs tens of thousands of kilometers in planes and cars, witnesses unbelievably harsh conditions and inhuman treatment of people, and lives to tell those stories (his life is often in danger). Kapuscinski conveys small, insightful details,...more
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altho some in my bookclub did not get thru its entirety, i did and found it quite enthralling. (could have been because i was trapped on about four planes while reading it...) this provided in an almost travel-writing style historical information interwined with observations on the author's travels in the former Soviet Union spanning the course of some fifty years. it helped me to understand a bit more the oppressive regimes that ruled over the imperium, the soviet mindset that may have develope...more
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Kolejne dzieło Ryszarda Kapuścińskiego w jego bogatym dorobku. Książka napisana jest polifonicznie, to znaczy przejawiają się przez jej stronice postacie, wątki i miejsca, które mogą powracać kilkakrotnie w różnych kontekstach i latach. Wbrew polifonii jednak całość nie kończy się ostateczną syntezą, a wręcz przeciwnie, a to dlatego, że w trakcie pisania rozpadł jej główny przedmiot i temat, wielkie mocarstwo sowieckie. Książka nie jest ani historią Rosji i byłego ZS...more
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Read in July, 2008
Grabbed this one on way out the door to Russia. Great travel journalism. Full of first-hand experiences of traveling throughout the USSR. Was wonderful primer to read on the plane to understand type of mentality that pervaded and (from my recent experience) still pervades the vast lands of the USSR. Passed my copy along to our tour guide. Would like to be able to read this book in Polish, as felt the sentences had a certain poetic quality that didn't quite make it through the translation process...more
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4 comments
Read in May, 2006
recommends it for:
history geeks
If you haven't read Kapuscinski, you're missing out.
He died in the last year and his obituary was amazing. He travelled all over the world as a foreign correspondent during the period of Soviet domination of Poland. He wrote really insightful books based on his travels (particularly in South America).
This book, Imperium, is about his dealings with the Soviet Empire. Not exactly uplifting but very interesting.
He died in the last year and his obituary was amazing. He travelled all over the world as a foreign correspondent during the period of Soviet domination of Poland. He wrote really insightful books based on his travels (particularly in South America).
This book, Imperium, is about his dealings with the Soviet Empire. Not exactly uplifting but very interesting.
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A fascinating, highly personal tour throughout the former USSR and the Eastern Bloc. It lacks the exotic locales of Kapuscinski's other works but makes up for it in the emotional content.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
you
this is a really nice collection of travels in the soviet and former soviet union: from pinsk to pinsk.
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One of the best travel diary I have ever read. Profound yet not overwhelming, mostly delicate and humane. Definitively a must read for whoever shows interest on Russia, its history, its people.
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Read in November, 2007
December 2 is going to come. I hardly doubt these Russian elections will be democratic, thanks to Mr. Putin. Meanwhile I would like to understand better what happened before.
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Such an amazing book, it really holds your breath, when you realize that what they were taught was sheer bullshit...
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I loved this book so much (my first Kapuscinski) that I've been on a hunt for all things written by him.
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I believe Kapuscinski was one of the greatest journalists ever to walk the Earth. Period.
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There's little left to be said re my opinion of this author's work.
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Read in January, 2008
A great journalistic account, with powerful prose.
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