KapuścińskiRyszard - The shadow of the sun: my African life

Suppose we were to launch a spacecraft with the intention of establishing literary contact with the residents of some remote part of the galaxy. If we had room for only one contemporary writer, whom would we send? Id vote for Ryszard Kapuciski, because he has given the truest, least partial, most comprehensive and vivid account of what life is like on our planet Geoff Dyer, Guardian

[A] beautiful and extraordinary book. Like that other master of reportage, V. S. Naipaul, Kapuciski is a born storyteller and Africa provides him with some great tales to tell Anthony Sattin, Sunday Times

This book is a marvel of humane, sorrowful and lucid observation Kapuciski has written a startling, sobering, mesmerizing account of a few isolated parts of a larger vastness, giving us sharper, clearer images and understandings than many more conventional and more comprehensive books have managed Richard Bernstein, The New York Times

This is the best book I have read about Africa in years He gives quite the best account of the historical background to the prolonged crisis in Rwanda that I have read. He provides wonderful descriptions of the dictators Idi Amin and Samuel Doe Kapuciski writes about a genuinely African Africa Richard Gott, Literary Review

Reading Kapuciski is a lot like reading Borges, with the fantastical imaginary continents replaced by an equally fantastical real one Matt Steinglass, Washington Post

Kapuciski has transformed journalism into literature in his writings about Africa [and] got closer to African life than most Western reporters dream of doing W. F. Deedes, Daily Telegraph

A master reporter for readers who have wanted to find a more African Africa, Ryszard Kapuciski has long been the most engaging guide Kapuciski writes not about economic statistics or government policies, but about the lives of the poorest Africans struggling to survive shows life through African eyes, and it begins to explain the nature of the resilience that provides the real hope for Africa Anthony Sampson, New Statesman

A loosely arranged, highly detailed, heartfelt but unsentimental introduction to Africas afflictions and a quiet love song to its profound appeal Roger Kaplan, Wall Street Journal

He catches the heart of this vast continent by following his own intuitions, always going off the beaten track, away from the safe and air-conditioned This book truly opens the doors to another world. A wonderful read Malcolm Reid, Time Out

Long-standing admirers of Kapuciskis writing will not be disappointed with The Shadow of the Sun; those who have yet to experience his uniquely brilliant blend of reportage and literature, and his passionate, compassionate tone, are urged to do so Robert Macfarlane, Tablet

Blessed with the acutest of antennae, this is a writer who feels with his eyes and thinks with his heart Michela Wrong, Financial Times

It bears the distinctive mark of all his work raising reportage to the level of grand history and philosophy Kapuciski is a masterful guide Brett Martin, Time Out New York

The Shadow of the Sun is a history of post-colonial Africa as seen through the eyes of a witness who is more poet than chronicler Blaine Harden, The New York Times

Powerful, idiosyncratic, controversial, often deeply moving Dervla Murphy, Irish Times

Sumptuous and meditative a book that is both travelogue and history, a consummate, often hair-raising prose poem to the enduring strangeness and beauty of Africa. Landscapes require expert story telling to bring them to life, and time and again, Kapuciski rises to the challenge an evocative and searching portrait of a continent wracked by constant change John Freeman, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

A rare treat Kapuciski doesnt just cover Africa - he knows it. By adhering steadfastly to the principle of living where the Africans live, he sets himself apart from other Western correspondents Kate Adie, Fergal Keane, Jeremy Bowen et al, could all learn by reading this Keith Wilson, Focus

A wise, engaging close-up filled with faces, landscapes, rutted roads and the daily perils of African life There are many Africas, and Kapuciski is altogether enthralling as he guides us through them Patrick Smith, Business Week

An excellent book, beautifully written by an accomplished storyteller Revealed is a fauvist landscape of primary colours, bright calico dresses, painted buses, patchwork clothes and plastic water containers an excellent book that will be of interest to all those concerned with Africas post-colonial history Nick Lodge,