Another Day of Life

by Ryszard Kapuściński

Book Overview

In 1975, Angola was tumbling into pandemonium; everyone who could was packing crates, desperate to abandon the beleaguered colony. With his trademark bravura, Ryszard Kapuscinski went the other way, begging his was from Lisbon and comfort to Luanda--once famed as Africa's Rio de Janeiro--and chaos.Angola, a slave colony later given over to mining and plantations, was a promised land for generations of poor Portuguese. It had belonged to Portugal since...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375726292
• ISBN13: 9780375726293
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

VHS Pre-IB Honors World History Book Review project

This fast paced book taught me so much about Angola's history and > current dispute. It made me want to learn more about this country's history and <br />> its people. I enjoyed the book because it was more than just a history and an <br />> account of war. It was an in-depth look at the people and their culture. It is <br />> the story of struggle for a whole civilization after gaining their independence <br />> from the ruthless European nation of Portugal. Kapuscinski didn't try to confuse <br />> you with numerous names, groups, and organizations. He gave you the basic and <br />> made the past easy to understand. Characters were brought to life through his <br />> detail, which made you feel for them when they left or were even killed. In the <br />> front of the book, a map of Angola is provided allowing you to flip back many <br />> times while reading this book. You know at all times what part of the country <br />> you are in and what is going on. A detailed history of the events leading up to <br />> independence and civil war is also provided in the back of the book. It explains <br />> what occurred during the war also. <br />Excerpt of A.K. winning book review! Good Job A.K. Mrs. Arthur

A tremendously informative book

Kapuscinski's "Another Day of Life" was a complete impulse buy for me. Why is it that these are very often the most enjoyable and satifying reading experiences? This slim 144-page, novella-like volume taught me so much about Angola, it's Portugese colonial heritage, the factional fighting that developed in the 60s & came to a head during Kapuscinski's three-month stay in the country in 1975, and the eye-opening level of involvement of such players as Cuba and South Africa.The amazing thing is *how little* things have changed since 1975. Since the fall of Portugal's dictatorship, there has been constant battle for almost 30 years. Jonas Savimbi - introduced here as a very young freedom fighter - was killed in battle only a short time ago.Added bonus: There's a wonderfully sparse little map of the country & the borders of its neighbors at the front of the book. You'll thumb back to that page no less than 50 times while reading "Another Day of Life."The title is apropos..when one of the characters utters the it two-thirds of the way into the book, I thought it was the perfect line at the perfect time. No wonder they culled it out of the book and had it serve as the title as well. I plan on reading the rest of Kapuscinski's works now.

Just a great book...

Out of all of Kapuscinski's books this little novella probably reads the most like a straight narrative. It follows Kapuscinski's experiences in Angola during the invogorating and terrifying time of its "liberation" in the 1960's. The narrative provides a visceral and enlightening account of the tumult that lies at the edges of what we (in the West) call order and civilization.As always, Kapuscinski's vision is lyrical, penetrating, and unflinching. He holds up for our examination the ironies and absurdities laid bare when the curtain of imperial colonialism is withdrawn, and its victims are left scrambling to erect a milennia's worth of social and political institutions in a week, a month, or a year. Kapuscinski exposes the true face of this century's "limited wars": almost always fought by uncertain armies for unclear purposes, and most directly resulting in nothing more than bodies, smoke, and refugees. Yet his voice is never bitter, sanctimonious or pedantic, but rather honest, ironic, and (in a subtle way)sadly disenchanted. If you haven't ready anything else by Kapuscinki, this is a great place to start. If you have, this book is a unique and powerful gem.

Vale la pena

I thought this book was great. An intense read.

War correspondence as literature

Ryszard Kapuscinski has written more celebrated books, has grappled with more complex questions of geo-politics, but this small, simple account of life on the inside of the collapse of blighted African country should be read by everyone with an interest in Africa, journalism, or plain good writing. Representing a Polish news agency, Kapuscinski stays behind when Portugal abandons Angola and the barbarians come hurtling towards the gate. He is without protection in a country mad with fear, suspicion, and messy death. His meditation on the concept of "confusao" - the Portugese version of confusion - is priceless. His accounts of travelling to battle-zones on empty roads are terrifying. How good is his information? Will they be ambushed? Will the next roadblock be friendly or will they be pulled from their car and killed? Are the risks worth taking? Does anybody out there care? Kapuscinski renders the absurdity and deep tragedy of Africa's post-colonial wars with great compassion. It is a moving, sad, funny and often breathtaking book - the mark against which other journalists' "I was there" books should properly be measured.