Kapuscinski: Liar, Spy, Racist or Path-Breaking Writer?
Link Dossier, Marcelo Ballvé, Apr 28, 2007
Return to main story: Living the Story: the Journalism of Ryszard Kapuscinski.
In the spirit of debate, the Kapuscinski link dossier starts with three negative views of the writer's work. At Slate, media critic Jack Shafer argues that Kapuscinski basically "made everything up," distorted facts and that it is a stretch to call his work journalism. He accuses Kapuscinski of living a double-standard, claiming to be a journalist while violating all the profession's rules in his famous books. Never mind that Shafer showed a lack of class in publishing this attack only days after Kapuscinski died. It is a good starting point for debate about his work and its implications for journalism as a genre.
Also, in Poland, the local edition of Newsweek magazine has uncovered evidence he was outed as a Communist "spy" in an anti-red purge.
From Africa, a columnist says that Kapuscinski was basically, even if unconsciously, a racist. In a well-written and argued piece, Binyavanga Wainaina accuses Kapuscinski of practicing "gonzo orientalism" and gives quotes from Kapuscinski's books to support his view, such as this one: “Let us remember that fear of revenge is deeply rooted in the African mentality.”
For those who would like to hear Kapuscinski's thoughts on the relationship between literature and journalism in his own words, here is a good chunk of the interview with Granta editor Ian Jack. In this interview, Kapuscinski basically says that his work is a search for a new kind of literature, which shatters the line between fiction and nonfiction. For some, that might damn Kapuscinski, proving the point that he was not a "real reporter." For others, this statement -- and Kapuscinski's work -- is a stimulating starting point in a search for new forms of literature and journalism.
Finally, Kapuscinski's own words. In the first piece, from The New Yorker, Kapuscinski describes the chain of events that lead to his first trip abroad as a journalist. In the second one, from The Independent newspaper in London, there's an introduction by Granta's Ian Jack, followed by the first paragraphs of the The Soccer War.
In Latin America, at least, they don't seem too hung up on Kapuscinski's straddling of genres. He received universal posthumous homage in the region's newspapers. Sala de Prensa, a Mexican journalism website, has published plenty of rich material, in Spanish, on Kapuscinski and his legacy.
Return to main story: Living the Story: the Journalism of Ryszard Kapuscinski.
Page
1 of 1
|
