Towers of Stone The Battle of Wills in Chechnya

"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 KapuscinskiIn 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.

Formerly a reporter at Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland’s first and biggest independent daily, WOJCIECH JAGIELSKI has been witness to some of the most important political events of the end of the twentieth century. He is the recipient of several of Poland’s most prestigious awards for journalism, including a Bene Merito honorary decoration from the Polish government and the Dariusz Fikus award for excellence in journalism. Seen by many as the literary heir to Ryszard Kapuściński, he is the author of several books of in-depth reportage, including Towers of Stone: The Battle of Wills in Chechnya, which won Italy’s Letterature dal Fronte Award. Arguably Poland’s best-known contemporary non-fiction writer, Jagielski lives outside Warsaw.