June 1, 2012
Critical assessments of Kapuscinski's work began appearing just weeks after the celebrated Polish journalist's death in 2007. Among the most damning was this book, which suggests that Kapuscinski on several occasions took liberties with facts, crossing the line between journalism and fiction. Such allegations, as well as mention of marital infidelities and collaboration with Communist intelligence agencies, caused something of a firestorm when the book was originally published in 2010. Yet Domoslawski, another leading Polish journalist and longtime disciple of Kapuscinski, ultimately strives not to destroy his mentor's reputation but to present a candid biography in hopes of understanding both Kapuscinski's enigmatic personality and, on a more abstract level, whether journalism is big or brave enough to include more literary approaches. Kapuscinski, a poet and a photographer as well as a reporter, would not have been offended, Domoslawski ventures, if some of his books were moved to the library's fiction section. Most of all, he wanted to be a writer, and journalism was his way into literature. Despite such controversies, the portrait of Kapuscinski that emerges remains in many ways a favorable one, noting the writer's shortcomings but also celebrating his humanism.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)