ANOTHER DAY OF LIFE by Kapuscinski, Ryszard (Translated by William R. Brand And Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand) - 1987

New York City, NY: Harcourt Brace, 1987. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Harcourt Brace, 1987. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 136 pages. The author's third book to be translated into English. One of the greatest journalistic accounts of the 20th century. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Ryszard Kapuscinski's "Another Day of Life" in a felicitous English translation. A classic account of a country torn apart by its newly-won freedom, told with masterly command of atmosphere and national mood by the author of "The Emperor" (1978) and "Shah of Shahs" (1982) . In 1975, Angola disintegrated into total chaos. Everyone who could hurriedly left the former colony. As usual, Kapuscinski flew to Luanda instead, once regarded as Africa's Rio de Janeiro. A colony transformed as a mining, agricultural, and tourism miracle, Angola was the Promised Land for generations of impoverished Portuguese immigrants. It belonged to Portugal for centuries - long before there were even English settlers in America. After the collapse of the Fascist regime in Portugal in 1974, Angola was cut loose, "spurring the catastrophe of a still-ongoing civil war. Kapuscinski plunged right into the middle of the drama, driving past thousands of haphazardly placed checkpoints, where using the wrong shibboleth was a matter of life and death. He records his impressions of the young soldiers (from Cuba, Angola, South Africa, and Portugal) fighting a nebulous war with global repercussions. Examines the peculiar brutality of a country surprised and divided by its new-found freedom" (Publisher's blurb) . "Leaves a chilling feeling of humanity reduced to its most desolate state. Packs a punch" (The Africanist) . Prompting comparisons with the works of a Modernist Master like Kafka, Kapuscinski's literary journalism is uniquely mesmerizing and unforgettable in that none of his accounts has an ending in the conventional sense: His narratives simply end, inconclusively and abruptly, on an unresolved, often jarring note. Which is something that writers of TIME Magazine or The New York Times would never do, neatly wrapping things up instead for the sake of an (artificially) satisfying story. An absolute "must-have" title for Ryszard Kapuscinski collectors. <b><i> This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws or are in multiple subsequent printings, particularly those that are listed as New, more than thirty years (as of 2019) after the book's release. A rare copy thus. </b></i> One of the greatest journalist-writers of the 20th century. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER RYSZARD KAPUSCINSKI TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0151075638.