Imperium, by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Reviewed by Rachel Stoll

Recommended by a friend in my graduate program in Portland, Ryszard Kapuscinski’s Imperium stands apart as an amazing piece of journalistic history of the former Soviet Union. For those interested in the realities of the different republics of the Soviet Union from the late 1930s to the early 1990s, this is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading.

Imperium starts out with Kapuscinski’s childhood memories of traveling through the various republics, then his revisiting them in the 1960s and 1970s, and ends with him in the final days of the USSR while the major transitions in policy and people were taking place.

The book covers the height and decline of the Soviet Union, with keen observations and a feeling of haunting cold from years of executions, persecution, and bread lines. There is so much tragic history, yet so little evidence of it now remains, due to the burning of documents and the passage of time, which deteriorates both buildings and memories.

Although the book covers a lot of time and geography, Kapuscinski manages to make incredible connections with people, which provides a deeper insight into the history and culture of the USSR. Some of the most captivating stories in the book involve the author dressing up as a co-pilot in order to get into Armenia, his sneaking into the Kremlin, and his visits to the northernmost work camps above the arctic circle, where the entire land is basically a graveyard.

This is by far one of the best-written pieces on the Soviet Union, perhaps because Kapuscinski wrote it over decades, or simply because he is one of the best writers in his field. Either way, Imperium is incredibly broad and deep, covering so many issues and feelings. That this is all contained in a few hundred pages is a feat in and of itself.

I highly recommend Imperium to anyone interested in the USSR, twentieth-century history, travel journalism, or political science.