Impérium – Kapuściński Ryszard (2018)

The phenomenon of the Soviet Union continues to fascinate us even many years after its collapse, when the well-known red flag with the hammer and sickle was torn into several small independent parts. Perhaps partly because the 'evil empire' never really disappeared completely, even though its most significant legacy is still felt and visible today in post-colonial syndromes and complexes. The report book Empire by Ryszard Kapuściński is the result of several of the author's journeys to the former Soviet Union, which he undertook from his birth until the turning point of the 1980s and 1990s, when crucial events were taking place on the territory of the USSR, culminating in the collapse of the communist superpower. Kapuściński intuitively captured the problems that influence our present, and after reading his Empire, it must be absolutely clear to us that we must never underestimate the fate and behavior of the Russian colossus. Kapuściński's talent for capturing the most precise details is admirable, as is his ability to incorporate them into a long-term historical perspective, thus elevating his journalistic vision to a philosophy of history. The new Czech edition of Ryszard Kapuściński's report essay Empire shows that his Soviet story is still relevant.