It began in Africa

Barring Private Eye, which is a different sort of beast entirely, journalism is not something I can claim to have read during this task. Or indeed outside of it, as my newspaper and magazine intake is pretty minimal these days. Headlines, web journalism and reviews is largely the extent of it, the same as probably a large number of people. There's a time and a place for that sure, but I do also firmly believe that there is a need for journalism still, real quality features, interviews and reporting that is worthy of the name, rather than so much of the mediocre output which is lumped under that umbrella title these days. And with the News International fiasco likely to keep running for some time, it remains a good talking point. The antidote to this? The Shadow of the Sun: My African Life by Ryszard Kapuścinski, a collection of journalism that does exactly what the title suggests.

If you're a fan of post-colonial literature, you should definitely read it. In fact, if you're interested in other cultures at all, or simply don't know where to start in such areas, you could do a lot worse than begin with this. Journalism it may be, but it's top drawer journalism, in short story form and it has a novelistic quality to it, the characters it so quickly brings to life in each of the many episodes and the easy way it transports the reader to numerous different places across this diverse continent. For as our author explains, 'Africa' is itself a very artificial construc.t, an area of land divided neatly by its colonial rulers and now one left to pick up the pieces.

And it is the real Africa that is shown, but it is done with love, with care and with no judgement or moralising. The problems are laid out, cultures are explained and there is a depth of understanding of both of these that comes across simply, effectively and with real empathy. It is the stories of someone who has lived life there, loved life there and has captured the essence of so much through fine writing which comes from the heart, but avoids sentimentality, pity or a plan to solve the numerous problems all know are faced on a daily basis by so many Africans simply to survive. An excellent collection of first-class journalism.

Book number: 58
Title: The Shadow of the Sun: My African Life
Author: Ryszard Kapuścinski
Category: Books by authors I've never heard of