Author:Ryszard Kapuscinski,Neal Ascherson
The Penguin Modern Classics edition of Ryszard Kapuscinski's The Emperor is translated by William R. Brand and Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand, with an introduction by Neal Ascherton.
After the deposition of Haile Selassie in 1974, which ended the ancient rule of the Abyssinian monarchy, Ryszard Kapuscinski travelled to Ethiopia and sought out surviving courtiers to tell their stories. Here, their eloquent and ironic voices depict the lavish, corrupt world they had known - from the rituals, hierarchies and intrigues at court to the vagaries of a ruler who maintained absolute power over his impoverished people. They describe his inexorable downfall as the Ethiopian military approach, strange omens appear in the sky and courtiers vanish, until only the Emperor and his valet remain in the deserted palace, awaiting their fate. Dramatic and mesmerising, The Emperor is one of the great works of reportage and a haunting epitaph on the last moments of a dying regime.
Ryszard Kapuscinski (1932-2007) was born in Pinsk, now in Belarus. Kapuscinski was the pre-eminent writer among Polish reporters. His best-known book is a reportage-novel of the decline of Haile Selassie's anachronistic regime in Ethiopia - The Emperor, which has been translated into many languages. Shah of Shahs, about the last Shah of Iran, and Imperium, about the last days of the Soviet Union, have enjoyed similar success.
If you enjoyed The Emperor, you might like Norman Mailer's The Fight, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.
'Stunning ... a magical eloquence'
John Updike, New Yorker
'[The Emperor] transcends reportage, becoming a nightmare of power ... An unforgettable, fiercely comic, and finally compassionate book'
Salman Rushdie
'Kapuscinski trascends the limitations of journalism and writes with the narrative power of a Conrad or Kipling or Orwell'
Blake Morrison
Grayling brings satisfying order to daunting subjects
—— Steven PinkerRemarkable, readable and authoritative. How he has mastered so much, so thoroughly, is nothing short of amazing
—— Lawrence M. Krauss, author of A Universe from NothingThis book hums with the excitement of the great human project of discovery
—— Adam Zeman, author of AphantasiaProf. Grayling interweaves the recent scientific and archaeological advances into a compelling narrative of how much progress humans have made in the understanding of their place in the natural, social and cognitive worlds. And how ignorant we still remain providing strong motivation to further this understanding by new empirical evidence
—— Tejidner Virdee FRSAC Grayling tackles the questions science can't answer... a breathtaking book... Scholarly, lucid and accessible without being patronising or diluting, Grayling offers a masterly exegesis of current knowledge in three disciplines, as well as an analysis of what both opens and obstructs our access to such knowledge - in effect, four books in one
An enthusiastic thinker who embraces humour, common sense and lucidity
—— IndependentSets out to tackle the big questions about human origins...written in a personal, unpretentious style...a laudable summary of a vital subject
—— Matt Grove , British ArchaeologyThe most up to date synthesis available
—— Steven Mithen , London Review of BooksStringer's writing style is lucid and all-embracing, pulling information and ideas together from all conceivable sources to support his central narrative ... stimulating, informative and entertaining. It deserves to be widely read
—— Stephen K. Donovan , Geological JournalI am in awe of Oded Galor's attempts to explain inequality today as a consequence of such profound forces. A remarkable contribution to our understanding of this mammoth dilemma
—— Jim O'Neill, author of The Growth MapA wonderfully clear-sighted perspective on progress, past and future, which is essential to tackling today's big challenges - potentially catastrophic climate change and inequality
—— Diane Coyle, former Vice Chair of the BBC Trust, author of Cogs and MonstersBig Science at its best ... Galor's erudition and creativity are remarkable
—— Prof. Steven N. Durlauf, University of Chicago, on Unified Growth TheoryAn engaging and optimistic answer to anyone who thinks that poverty and inequality will always be with us
—— Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules – For NowGalor's project is breathtakingly ambitious
—— Robert Solow, Nobel Laureate in EconomicsA magisterial account of the evolution of human civilization from its prehistoric origins into the present day. It's a page-turner, a suspense-filled thriller full of surprises, mind-bending puzzles and profound insights
—— Glenn C. Loury, author of The Anatomy of Racial InequalityIn lucid, accessible prose, Galor ingeniously traces obscure influences over centuries ... This engrossing history reveals that subtle causes can have astounding effects
—— Publishers WeeklyA tour de force. This deeply argued book brilliantly weaves the threads of global economic history to deconstruct the rich tapestry that is the modern world
—— Dani Rodrik, author of Straight Talk on TradeOne of the hottest books of the year ahead
—— Irish IndependentReading Oded Galor's upbeat book I...[was] taken aback by his imagination and verve... great sections of Galor's book are to be applauded... his optimism about humanity shines through
—— ObserverThe Journey of Humanity is a good summary of growth theories and is an elegantly written and accessible book
—— Irish TimesGalor argues that climate policy should not be restricted to cutting carbon but should also involve "pushing hard for gender equality, access to education and the availability of contraceptives, to drive forward the decline in fertility". India will do well to heed that advice
—— New Indian ExpressThe Journey of Humanity stretches from the emergence of Homo sapiens to the present day, and has a lot to say about the future, too. In just over 240 pages it covers our migration out of Africa, the development of agriculture, the Industrial Revolution and the phenomenal growth of the past two centuries. It takes in population change, the climate crisis and global inequality ... There will be inevitable comparisons with Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens ... If you need an evidence-based antidote to doomscrolling, here it is ... Galor builds his case meticulously, always testing his assumptions against the evidence, and without the sense of agenda-pushing that accompanies other boosterish thinkers - the Steven Pinkers or Francis Fukuyamas of this world
—— GuardianIncredibly wide-ranging and detailed historical and even anthropological examination of the myriad factors that have brought success and failure to nations ... Lively and learned
—— Tim Hazledine, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Auckland , Inerest.co.nzAn optimist's guide to the future ... Oded Galor's 'Sapiens'-like history of civilisation predicts a happy ending for humanity
—— GuardianEnjoyable and intriguing
—— Steven Poole , GuardianAn antidote to doomscrolling
—— Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2022*A great historical fresco
—— Le MondeBreathtaking. A new Sapiens
—— L'ExpressAmbitious and deep ... the product of genuine scholarship
—— Jason Furman, economics professor at Harvard, former advisor to Barack Obama , #1 Best Economics Book of 2022, FiveBooks.com
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