Synopses & Reviews
“Wojciech Jagielski has already achieved recognition for his reporting from the most inflamed points on our globe. [His latest work] will only confirm his reputation.”—Ryszard Kapuscinski
In Towers of Stone, award-winning Polish reporter Wojciech Jagielski brings into focus the tragedy of Chechnya and the war being waged there by small groups of desperate warriors against the powerful Russian army. Jagielski’s narrative revolves around two Chechnyan leaders: Shamil Basayev, a hero to some, a dangerous warlord to others; and Aslan Maskhadov, a calculating and sober politician who is viewed as a providential savior by some of his compatriots and a cowardly opportunist by the rest. Caught up in a war to which they owe everything and without which they could not live, the two fighters face enemy forces—and one another—in protean conflicts. Viewing the two men’s personal story as a microcosm of the conflict threatening to devour a land and its peoples, Jagielski tells the bitter history of the region with forceful clarity.
Wojciech Jagielski is a journalist at Gazeta Wyborcza, a BBC correspondent, and an occasional contributor to Le Monde. He specializes in Africa, central Asia, the Trans-Caucasus, and the Caucasus. He has been witness to some of the most important political events of the end of the twentieth century and is a permanent observer of developments in Afghanistan. He is the recipient of the Dariusz Fikus Award, one of Poland’s most prestigious awards for excellence in journalism.
Soren A. Gauger is a Canadian immigrant to Poland, where he has lived for nine years, working as a translator for cultural institutions. His translation of Jerzy Ficowski’s short prose Waiting for the Dog to Sleep appeared in 2006, and his translation of Bruno Jasienski’s Paris in Flames is due to appear next year. He has also published two books of his own short fiction.
Synopsis
The tragedy of Chechnya brought into focus by Poland's foremost journalist.
Synopsis
In Towers of Stone, award-winning Polish reporter Wojciech Jagielski brings into focus the tragedy of Chechnya, its inhabitants, and the war being waged there by a handful of desperate warriors against a powerful and much more numerous army. Jagielski's narrative is told through the lens of two men: Shamil Basaev, a hero to some, a dangerous warlord to others; and Aslan Maskhadov, a calculating and sober politician, who is viewed as a providential savior by some of his compatriots and a cowardly opportunist by the rest. Caught up in a war to which they owe everything and without which they could not live, the two fighters face enemy forces—and one another—in protean conflicts that prove hard to quell. Viewing the two mens personal story as a microcosm of the conflict threatening to devour a land and its peoples, Jagielski distills the bitter history of the region with forceful clarity.
About the Author
WOJCIECH JAGIELSKI is a journalist at Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland's first and biggest independent daily, where he specializes in Africa, Central Asia, the Trans-Caucasus, and the Caucasus. He has been witness to some of the most important political events of the end of the twentieth century and is a permanent observer of developments in Afghanistan. He is the author of A Good Place to Die, the result of several years of travel to the Caucasus in the era of the Soviet Union's collapse and of the emergence of new independent states; Praying for Rain, the bestseller chronicling Afghan regimes; and The Night Wanderers, a book about child soldiers from Northern Uganda. Jagielski is the recipient of the Dariusz Fikus Award, one of Poland's most prestigious awards for excellence in journalism. In 2008, Towers of Stone received the Letterature Dal Fronte Award in Italy.