Читать книгу Ryszard Kapuscinski - Artur Domoslawski - Страница 14

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Lapidarium 2: Lance Corporal Kapuściński

‘He was a pretty annoying career NCO.’

At military training for Warsaw University students, history of art student Krzysztof Teodor Toeplitz, many years later one of Poland’s best-known columnists, gets to know history student Kapuściński. They meet at military science lectures as well as every Saturday at exercises in drill, crawling, and shooting.

‘Rysiek was our star student. He cared about physical fitness, in spite of having a rather small physique. This fitness later helped him survive tough conditions in Africa, when he was working as a Polish Press Agency correspondent. Even before cadet camp, which took place towards the end of our training, they promoted Rysiek to lance corporal, and Lance Corporal Kapuściński gave us common privates a really hard time. Running harder, more press-ups . . . Most of us took military studies with a pinch of salt, but Rysiek took it deadly seriously.’