R.I.P. Ryszard

Globe-trotting Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski has died at 74, after a life exploring parts of the world -- and the people who inhabit them -- that most of us can barely imagine. A good obituary is available from the Washington Post.

As almost every obit has noted, Kapuscinski's reporting, and his subsequent books, helped to connect the narrow subjects on which he wrote to the broader issues of human relationships, governments and their citizens, and the complications therein. To me, Kapuscinski always managed to capture something so essential that his writings remained relevant for looking at current affairs even decades after his original reporting. You can read two other items about Kapuscinski here and here.