Ryszard KapuscinskiAnother Day of Life

Eloquent account of this Polish journalist's time in Angola, just as Angola was getting its independence. The author has written some of the most compelling stuff on modern Africa, and this book is among the best on Angola. He starts the narrative in Luanda on the eve of independence and then stays on as the country falls into civil war. I think it's strength is the way he gets inside the different groups involved and exposes the virtual ideological emptiness of the conflict. It was billed as a Cold War theater, and yet you find that many of the people were simply not very ideologically motivated. It gets you into the combat zones and shows the utter pointlessness of the war, which dragged on for some 30 years. His character sketches are intriguing and his eye for telling and memorable details makes this book a classic. Just the image of a city in which all the dogs have suddenly disappeared and abandoned the town leaves a chilling feeling of humanity reduced to its most desolate state. It's pithy and short and packs a punch.

This book contains some justly celebrated details (the checkpoints, the city of crates), but in Kapuściński's personal account of the start of the civil war in Angola, there are some niggling points that, in retrospect, don't quite fit. Was Kapuściński really on the brink of a worldwide scoop on South Africa's incursion? What was the precise nature of Kapuściński's relationship with the Cubans? Why did he leave the country so abruptly? As a work of military history, this has questionable value, but its literary merit is immense.

The author has written a number of really excellent books capturing different aspects of AfricaNo matter your background or political views of the Angola conflict - you will be absorbed by the people

Maybe just a third of a book.I like Kapuscinski a lot--have read 4 or 5 of his books now. But here it seems the publisher is banking on his reputation and cashing in on anything they can find with his name on it. This book starts to give a finely-written account of the RK's experiences as a correspondent at the outbreak of the Angolan civil war. The story ends arbitrarily as invading armies are poised for a pivotal battle early in the war--and the author runs out of money and asks his employers to bring him home. Next comes a brief Wikipedia-like postscript describing the history and geography of Angola and a quick timeline of the rest--actually most--of the war.Read Shadow of the Sun if you want to see what this author can do, but this book is a charitable contribution to a deceptive publisher.

Interesting piece of history

One of the best books of one of the best Polish journalists with a lot of interesting on spot information on not too well known war in Angola. Everyday evidence of life on threshold of the country's independece with its swift and dramatic changes reflected by a gifted pen. Classics and good example of the real journalist's job.

Very educating book, capturing true images of a country at war with endearing portrayals of true characters and horrifying scenes of human cruelty. Also, a passage in history many might not know about.

This book by Kapuscinski is another great reason why he is a brilliant author. It gives amazing on-the-ground accounts of what it was like to be in Angola during the dying days of the Portuguese empire and the burgeoning civil war. Just brilliant.

This diary, as it is more or less a day-to-day narrative of what was happening in Angola in the dying days of the portuguese colonies, is amazing. If you want to understand why all the talk about "decolonisation" was just baloney, read it. Nothing makes sense at all unless you admit that one super-power was just trying to grab lands, people and the commodities (oil, diamond, ore, gold) that was under their bedroom.Kapucinski has a knack to render the poignancy of the situation, which is Kafkaesque to say the least. It is a poignant book that I recommend to everyone.

This is a well written account of the arrival of Independence (and with it, civil war) in Angola. It is a book of two sections. The first, which I found infinitely more engaging, describes what happens to Luanda and its inhabitants as the Portugeuese prepare to leave. The second deals with the author's expeditions to the front line and his experiences of the war itself. Neither part makes for easy reading and the spare, matter of fact prose accentuates the horrors of day to day life. Interesting and insightful. A book about humanity.

Brilliant writing as usual from Kapuscinski. His account of the end of Portuguese rule in Angola and the country's descent in to bloody civil war is simply fantastic. Found his description of the Portuguese packing up to leave in Luanda particularly memorable, the docks piled high with wooden box's ready to ship to Lisbon or Rio, 300 years of rule over in the blink of an eye. Written with great insight but also humour, I really like Kapuscinski's sense of the absurd. Definitely read this book.

Incredible account of historical significance of the months preceding Angola’s independence. Well written, you are transported to these turbulent times and see them through the eyes of Kapuscinski.

excellent book that captures the essence of the time period it covers