The Emperor (book)

{{Infobox book |

| name = The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat

| title_orig = Cesarz

| translator = William R. Brand and Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand

| image = The Emperor (book).jpg

| caption = First edition (Polish)

| author = Ryszard Kapuściński

| cover_artist =

| country = Poland

| language = Polish

| series =

| genre = Non-fiction/Literature

| publisher = Czytelnik

| release_date = 1978

| media_type = Print (Paperback)

| pages = 164

| isbn = 0-679-72203-3

| oclc= 19822583

| preceded_by =

| followed_by =

}}

The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat, published in 1978, is Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński's analysis of the decline and fall of Haile Selassie's regime in Ethiopia. In 1974, while the Ethiopian Army was still busy consolidating power, Kapuściński "traveled to Ethiopia to seek out and interview Selassie's servants and closest associates on how the Emperor had ruled and why he fell."{{cite web|url=http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=0679722033 |title=The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuscinski - Powell's Books |publisher=Powells.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-03}} In large part, the book is a study of the workings of a royal court. According to some critics, the book serves as a political allegory for Edward Gierek's government in the Polish People's Republic during the late 1970s.{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/29/books/the-dictator-s-downfall.html |title=The Dictator'S Downfall |work=The New York Times |date=1983-05-29 |accessdate=2013-10-03}}

=The Throne=

Section one focuses on the constitution of Emperor Haile Selassie's imperial court.

=It's Coming, It's Coming=

Section two focuses on the attempted coup led by Mengistu Neway on December 13, 1960, and its repercussions.

=The Collapse=

This section focuses on the Ethiopian revolution and the ultimate downfall of Selassie, featuring an account by his valet, who was the last remaining servant in the Emperor's court. This is followed by two short newspaper articles on the Emperor's last few years of life, which show that he still believed himself to be the true leader of Ethiopia.

Theatre

"The Emperor" had a world premiere in London's Young Vic on 3 September 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/the-emperor|title = The Emperor}} The play was well received by the reviewers.{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/sep/09/the-emperor-review-kathryn-hunter-young-vic-haile-selassie |title=The Emperor review – majestic Kathryn Hunter gives 10 great performances |publisher=theguardian.com |date=2016-09-09 |accessdate=2016-10-15}}{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.ft.com/content/11ff3cf6-7680-11e6-bf48-b372cdb1043a |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/oocwk |archive-date=2022-12-11 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The Emperor, Young Vic, London — 'Riveting' |publisher=ft.com |date=2016-09-11 |accessdate=2016-10-15}}

References

External links

{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20030417142545/http://www.richardwebster.net/johnryle.html Review of Kapuściński]}} by John Ryle for the Times Literary Supplement (27 July 2001)

Category:Historiography of Ethiopia

Category:1978 non-fiction books

Category:Polish non-fiction books

Category:Books by Ryszard Kapuściński

Category:Books adapted into plays

Category:Cultural depictions of Haile Selassie

Category:History books about Africa