FOLIO SOCIETY TRAVELS WITH HERODOTUS Ryszard Kapuściński

Description: Folio Society – TRAVELS WITH HERODOTUS by Ryszard Kapuściński During a brief period of political ‘thaw’ in Poland following Stalin’s death in 1953, a young reporter named Ryszard Kapuściński dreamed of being allowed to leave the country - not to go as far as Paris or London, but simply to cross the border. A year after he confessed his desire to his editor, the terrified Kapuściński was sent to India. He knew almost nothing about life in other countries; his only frame of reference was his copy of Herodotus’ The Histories. He returned overwhelmed by the experience, embarrassed by his ignorance, but determined to see the world. With Herodotus as his companion, Kapuściński’s career had begun. A series of investigative travels across Asia and Africa would make him one of the greatest reporters of his day, with an instinct for finding the heart of the action and an endless curiosity about his fellow human beings. Travels with Herodotus is partly a snapshot of Kapuściński’s career, partly a tribute to his predecessor Herodotus, whom he describes as ‘the consummate reporter’. Kapuściński takes us from India to China, from the Congo to Turkey, and back and forth in time to witness demonstrators shot in the streets of Tehran or Darius erecting the temples and palaces of Persepolis. Herodotus had been banned in communist Poland because he depicted tyrants whose actions led to their overthrow. Kapuściński’s own books contained similar subversive messages. Both Herodotus and Kapuściński saw poverty, brutality and destruction, and yet both writers remained critically engaged, not crushed by their experiences Kapuściński was a gifted photographer, and this Folio edition contains a selection of his astonishing pictures, held in an archive in Warsaw. Some of these have never previously been published. They reveal Kapuściński as a great portraitist, who befriended individuals and captured their stories, both in his books and with his 35mm Zorca. Margaret Atwood was ‘honoured and pleased’ when the Folio Society asked her permission to reprint her 2007 obituary of Kapuściński as the preface for the book. It ends with a quotation from Travełs with Herodotus: ‘We stand in darkness, surrounded by light’. For Atwood, this is a fitting epitaph for ‘this modest man who was a superlative witness to our times’. ‘His exceptional combination of journalism and art allows us to feel so close to what Kapuściński calls the inexpressible true image of war’ – Salman Rushdie DESCRIPTION: Introduced by Margaret Atwood. Three-quarter-bound in buckram with a paper front board printed with a photograph by the author. Set in Arno Pro. 248 pages. Frontispiece and 16 pages of black & white plates. Plain slipcase. Size: 10˝ x 6¾˝ CONDITION: Book is UNREAD and in FINE condition. Internally pages are clean and bright throughout. Binding is tight and square.. Slipcase is STURDY and also in VERY GOOD condition with very light shelf wear (see photos). Postage will be by Royal Mail Tracked 48 with Signature service costing £4.95 All items are sent at cost price whether purchasing a single or multiple items. Due to size, weight and value considerations it is not possible to accurately calculate combined postage automatically. Always feel free to ask or if purchases require immediate payment I will refund any difference. All items must be sent to the address stipulated during the payment process. All items are sent via recorded delivery unless they are of little monetary value. Virtually all my items are available through the global shipping program (GSP) to designated countries outside the UK. Please note I have no control over international postage costs. I do not set these, eBay's GSP does, I send the items to an address in the UK and am not even aware of the country for which they are destined. Items purchased through the GSP must be sent via the GSP shipping centre. Please ask any questions before buying 70PC

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Location: UK

End Time: 2024-11-22T15:03:36.000Z

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