From postcolonial Africa to revolutionary Iran, from the military dictatorships of Latin America to Soviet Russia, the Polish journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuscinski was one of the most dauntless and important eyewitness reporters of the twentieth century. In his committed journalism covering the great revolutions of the age, and his resolute anti-colonialism, Kapuscinski created a new genre of creative reporting: one that brought him immense fame in the Western world and to the attention of the CIA. In his major new biography of Ryszard Kapuscinski, Artur Domoslawski shines new light on the personal relationships of this intensely charismatic, highly private man, and the intractable issue at the heart of Kapuscinski’s life and work: the question of where journalism ends and literature begins. Close to Kapuscinski, and with unparalleled access to his private papers, Domoslawski, himself an award-winning foreign correspondent, traces his mentor’s footsteps through Africa and Latin America, delves into the files and archives that Kapuscinski himself examined, and interviews the people that he talked to in the course of his own investigations. Domoslawski talks about Ryszard Kapuscinski.

Rysyard Kapuscinski: A Life is supported by the Polish Cultural Institute English and PEN’s Writers in Translation programme. Now in to its seventh year, the programme aims to celebrate books of outstanding literary value, dedication to free speech and inter-cultural understanding.