The Shadow of the Sun
Written by Ryszard Kapuscinski
Translated from the Polish by Klara Glowczewska

In 1957, Ryszard Kapuscinski arrived in Africa to witness the beginning of the end of colonial rule as the first African correspondent of Poland's state newspaper. From the early days of independence in Ghana to the ongoing ethnic genocide in Rwanda, Kapuscinski has crisscrossed vast distances pursuing the swift, and often violent, events that followed liberation. Kapuscinski hitchhikes with caravans, wanders the Sahara with nomads, and lives in the poverty-stricken slums of Nigeria. He wrestles a king cobra to the death and suffers through a bout of malaria.

What emerges is an extraordinary depiction of Africa--not as a group of nations or geographic locations--but as a vibrant and frequently joyous montage of peoples, cultures, and encounters. Kapuscinski's trenchant observations, wry analysis and overwhelming humanity paint a remarkable portrait of the continent and its people. His unorthodox approach and profound respect for the people he meets challenge conventional understandings of the modern problems faced by Africa at the dawn of the twenty-first century.

"A book that is both travelogue and history, a consummate, often hair-raising prose poem to the enduring strangeness and beauty of Africa."
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

"[Kapuscinski] has explored that sliver of high, thinly populated ground on which journalism and literature are occasionally joined. . . A wise, engaging close-up filled with faces, landscapes, rutted roads, and the daily perils of African life."
Businessweek

RYSZARD KAPUSCINSKI, Poland's most celebrated foreign correspondent, was born in 1932. After graduating with a degree in history from Warsaw University, he was sent to India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to report for the Polish news, which began his lifelong fascination with the Third World. During four decades reporting on Asia, Latin America, and Africa, he befriended Che Guevara, Salvador Allende, and Patrice Lumumba. He witnessed twenty-seven coups and revolutions and was sentenced to death four times. His books have been translated into nineteen languages. He died in 2007.

Publishing House: Vintage International, New York 2002
SoftCover book measuring 5.2" x 8"
336 pages
English Language Version

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