The Generalist

Ryszard Kapuscinski, who died in January in Warsaw at the age of 74, is now widely recognised as one of the greatest foreign correspondents of our time.

Some measure of his importance can be gained from the fact that, in April this year, a special tribute was held in his memory by the international writer’s group PEN in New York, featuring Salman Rushdie amongst many other distinguished authors.

The literature for the occasion described him as follows: ‘a visionary journalist and world-besotted fabulist, and one of the great travellers of the 20th century (true heir to his hero and subject of his last book, Travels with Herodotus). Kapuscinski was a living link between Bruno Schulz and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, with whom he was still team-teaching classes to young Latin American journalists only a few years back. Above all, he was a dear, sweet man – brave, kind, and fiercely clear-seeing.’

The Generalist is proud to present the two interviews I conducted with him the 1984 one being, to my knowledge, the first interview he ever gave in Britain on the publication of ‘The Emperor.’ Both can now form part of the historical record and are available to biographers, scholars, readers and listeners for free.

There are marked contrasts between the two: the first was conducted when he was virtually unknown to English readers. His voice is quiet and intense and it is clear that he is concentrating hard on his English to try and clearly explain himself. By the second, he has become famous and celebrated and is confident and much more outgoing.

I was fortunate to develop a close friendship with Ryszard which is documented alongside a through review of his life and work on The Generalist’s main site here. I hope the two sites together form a suitable tribute to this remarkable man.

Files

Interview #1 - 9th August 1984, MP3 Size: 32.4MB, Length: 01:01:09 - CDN Link - Direct Link

Interview #2 - 3rd April 1986, MP3 Size: 34.9MB, Length: 01:05:59 - CDN Link - Direct Link