Rewolucja biała, czerwona i czarna O Szachinszachu Ryszarda Kapuścińskiego
White, Red and Black Revolutions On Ryszard Kapuściński’s Shah of Shahs

Author(s): Beata Nowacka
Subject(s): Polish Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: reportage; Kapuściński; shah; Khomeini;Islamic revolution;
Summary/Abstract: Ryszard Kapuściński’s The Emperor and Shah of Shahs are most commonly interpreted as universal metaphors for the decline of power and are regarded as only loosely related with the actual history of Ethiopia and Iran. The following article attempts to read Kapuściński’s account of the Islamic revolution alongside source material regarding the history of Iran. Moreover, the article notes the influences of August 1980 on the ultimate form of the book and its intertextual connections with Zbigniew Herbert’s 1981 poem “The Power of Taste.” The inclusion of varied contextual information allows to see Shah of Shahs as a multidimensional story which at the same time discusses the history of Iran, touches upon the central ideals of the revolution and constitutes an affirmation of the arts.

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