The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Fascinating! This is what I can say about the story The Emperor. The descriptions Kapuscinski uses to create the scenario are amazing. "Mountains of meat, fruit, fish, and cheese rose on the tables. Many-layered cakes dripped with sweet, colored icing. Distinguished wines spread reflected colors and invigorating aromas. The music played on, and costumed clowns did somersaults to the delight of the carefree revelers." Since I read The Soccer War I have noticed how Kapuscinski describes everything with exact precision so we can imagine it. I like this way of writing because it is similar to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's writings. The descripition he uses creates a peaceful atmosphere that you can picture all along the story.

Nevertheless, so much description made me realize how fancy this dinner was. It is really shocking to see how later on in the story, Kapuscinski describes the beggars outside, and how they are waiting fo the emperor's servants to throw away the left overs. Hopefully the protagonist changes or realizes how poor people live and how blessed he is to have everything he has.