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Synopsis
Haile Selassie, King of Kings, Elect of God, Lion of Judah, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, reigned from 1930 until he was overthrown by the army in 1974. While the fighting still raged, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Poland's leading foreign correspondent, traveled to Ethiopia to seek out and interview Selassie's servants and closest associates on how the Emperor had ruled and why he fell. This "sensitive, powerful. . .history" (The New York Review of Books) is Kapuscinski's rendition of their accounts—humorous, frightening, sad, groteque—of a man living amidst nearly unimaginable pomp and luxury while his people teetered netween hunger and starvation.
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Review
Haile Selassie, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, enjoyed a 44-year reign until his own army gave him the boot in 1974. In the days following the coup, the Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski traveled to Ethiopia and sought out members of the imperial court for interviews.
His composite portrait of Selassie's crumbling imperium is an astonishing, wildly funny creation, beginning with the very first interview. "It was a small dog," recalls an anonymous functionary, "a Japanese breed. His name was Lulu. He was allowed to sleep in the Emperor's great bed. During various ceremonies, he would run away from the Emperor's lap and pee on dignitaries' shoes. The august gentlemen were not allowed to flinch or make the slightest gesture when they felt their feet getting wet. I had to walk among the dignitaries and wipe the urine from their shoes with a satin cloth. This was my job for ten years." (Well, it's a living.)
Elsewhere, the interviewees venture into tragic or grotesque or downright unbelievable terrain. Kapuscinski has shaped their testimonies into an eloquent whole, and while he never alludes to the totalitarian regime that ruled his native Poland during the same period, the analogy is impossible to ignore.
From the Publisher
"[The Emperor] transcends reportage, becoming a nightmare of power... An unforgettable, fiercely comic, and finally compassionate book."--Salman Rushdie
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- PublisherPicador
- Publication date1994
- ISBN 10 033033185X
- ISBN 13 9780330331852
- BindingPaperback
- Rating
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The Emperor and Shah of Shahs
Published by
Pan Macmillan, United Kingdom, London, 1994
ISBN 10: 033033185X
ISBN 13: 9780330331852
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. "The Emperor", Haile Selassie: King of Kings, Lion of Judah - the absolute ruler of Ethiopia for 44 years, and possibly one of the most corrupt leaders of our time. The author, one of Poland's leading foreign correspondents, interviewed former members of the Emperor's inner court to produce this book which is a study of the man and his absolute power. "Shah of Shahs" begins in Iran in 1980. The revolutionaries have taken charge and in a deserted Tehran hotel, the author tries to make journalistic and human sense of the mass of notes, tapes, and photographs he has accumulated during his extended stay in Iran. The book offers a luminous synthesis of factual reports, impressions, and reflections offering readers a portrait of the psychological state of a country in revolution. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR002644984
Quantity: 3 available