Ryszard Kapuściński (1932–2007) was born in eastern Poland. After studying Polish history at Warsaw University, he began work as a domestic reporter. Later, as a foreign correspondent for the Polish Press Agency (until 1981), Kapuściński gained critical and popular praise for his coverage of civil wars, revolutions, and social conditions in the Third World. In Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, he ventured into the “bush”—the word that has become his trademark—to search out hidden stories. In addition to his books on the Third World, Kapuściński has written about the Polish provinces and the Asian and Caucasian republics of the Soviet Union. His account of the fall of Haile Selassie, The Emperor, was published to widespread acclaim in many languages. Newsweek named it one of the ten best books of 1983.