Travels with Herodotus

June 1, 2007
In 1955, just starting his career as a reporter, Kapuscinski wanted to travel just beyond the border of Poland. His editor sent him on assignment much farther afield, to China, Iran, and Africa, with a gift of HerodotusHistories. In this amazing memoir, Kapuscinski compares his own wanderings to those of the Greek historian. He wonders about the motivation behind Herodotus journeys, recounting how his own were spurred by unrest in Poland. Calling Herodotus the first globalist, Kapuscinski uses his volume as comfort, solace, guide, and inspiration. He intersperses Herodotus writings throughout his own musings at the modern world, comparing ancient Persias Darius with the then shah of Iran. As he reads about and dreads the war between the Greeks and Persians, he covers the war in the Congo. Liberated by his travels, Kapuscinski nonetheless feels the impenetrability of the Great Wall of Language in China and all the barriers to overcoming xenophobia and nurturing an appreciation for diverse cultures. Kapuscinskis recollections are intimate and vibrant in his embrace of a broader world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)