Wojciech Jagielski

(b. 1960) – journalist, reporter.

Graduated from the Department of Journalism and Political Sciences of the University of Warsaw. Initially he worked as a journalist for the Polish Press Agency, and later for Gazeta Wyborcza, all the way until 2012. He then returned to PPA; in 2017 he also joined the editorial team of “Tygodnik Powszechny”. He works with the BBC and “Le Monde”.

An eminent expert in issues of Africa and Central Asia, Transcaucasia and the Caucasus. He reported from the most important global political events of the turn of the centuries. His debut book was “Dobre miejsce do umierania” (A Good Place to Die, 1994) about Transcaucasia and the Caucasus; he then published “Modlitwa o deszcz” (Praying for Rain, 2002) about Afghanistan and “Wieże z kamienia” (2004, published in English as Towers of Stone. The Battle of Wills in Chechnya) about Chechnya.

Jagielski is interested in lengthy conflicts, in which contradictory interests of various participants get entangled into a Gordian knot: hence his writing about small Caucasian nations which have been at war with each other almost constantly since the demise of the USSR, or the war in Afghanistan. However, he does not focus on political analysis, data and dry facts. He is mostly interested in people consumed by the whirlwind of hatred and revenge, both leaders of countries or nations and ordinary people, who usually bear the brunt of war’s turmoil. Through their stories Jagielski tries to outline the socio-political realities of the places he describes, while being generous with details which allow the reader to become familiar with the specifics of life in Chechnya or Afghanistan.

In Praying for Rain, Jagielski described his particular approach to reporting: “In order to know and try to understand Afghans and their country, one has to gain their trust, and first their respect. One has to at least try living like they do”. These words reveal an attitude closer to that of a traveller or anthropologist than a war correspondent. In this spirit, Jagielski also poses difficult existential questions, always searching for more, not only simple political motivations. This makes his books relevant beyond the memory of a specific military conflict; they resemble classical prose with their wide perspective, complex issues, and most of all – their vivid characters, who are always more than partisans, terrorists or soldiers.

Jagielski’s reportage is also characterised by accuracy and in-depth expertise about the phenomena discussed. This is certainly the case with the book “Nocni wędrowcy” (published in English as The Night Wanderers) about Uganda during the rule of two murderous dictators: Milton Obote and Idi Amin. Jagielski gathers shocking information about the Lord’s Resistance Army, which forcibly enlisted even small children, directly from veterans of that army. He strikes up a friendship with young Samuel, who was kidnapped to murder his brothers and now tries to return to normal life. This personal perspective allows Jagielski to create a universal image of fanaticism and what it can drive someone to do.

The volumes “Strona świata” (Side of the World), “Druga strona świata” (The Other Side of the World) and “Inna strona świata” (A Different Side of the World) collect Jagielski’s columns written for “Tygodnik Powszechny”. In these short and accessible literary forms, the reporter creates a colourful and coherent image of the modern world, allowing his readers to know and understand places where future is taking shape.

Ryszard Kapuściński, a classic of global reportage, asserted: “Jagielski’s writing is a wonderful continuation, an excellent expansion and enrichment of all the best things about Polish and European reportage”.

Wojciech Jagielski is the laureate of many literary awards. In 2002 he received the Dariusz Fikus Award, a year later – the Józef Tischner Award and the Arkady Fiedler Amber Butterfly Award. Praying for Rain was nominated for the Nike Literary Award (2003), and The Night Wanderers reached the final of that award in 2010. “Wszystkie wojny Lary” (published in English as All Lara’s Wars) was nominated for the Teresa Torańska Newsweek Award and the Ryszard Kapuściński Award, both in 2015. In 2023 he received the “Pen of Hope”, a special lifetime achievement award administered by the Polish branch of Amnesty International. In 2014 he was honoured with the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.