Wealth hard to describe. Luxurious residences. Expensive cars. Beautiful women and masses of fanatical admirers. This is how we imagine the life of dictators. Before you want to become a satrap, however, you should get familiar with the facts ...
How to become a dictator. A Manual for Novices ”by Mikal Hem is a story about the road to absolute power. It is a bitter, intelligent satire and analysis of the contemporary world, which sometimes creates extremely antipathic characters for stars.
If you follow the advice in this book, you have the chance to become an unforgettable absolute ruler. Learn from the best - Mikal Hem ironic in the introduction to "How to become a dictator". And how he gives his readers dictatorial know-how - recipes for surefire success as an autocrat, taken from the 20th and 21st century masters of unscrupulous dictatorships from around the world.
Next to the figure of Nicolae Ceaușescu's "universal genius" and the "sun of the Carpathians", Hem draws as evocative as shocking portraits of, among others, Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, "father of all Turkmen" Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Niyazov or the Haitian dictator François Duvalier, known as "Papa Doc" for whom a special version of the prayer "Our Father" was created.
Buy Mikal Hem's books titled “How to Become a Dictator. A Guide for Newbies ”at empik.com.
On the one hand, Mikal Hem, a journalist specializing in issues and analyzes of international politics, cites facts, on the other hand, he does not avoid anecdotes about the private lives of dictators. He writes about their weaknesses, favorite cars and sports - also the very extreme ones, about love conquests and miracles that they allegedly performed.
In a satirical, but far from indulgent manner, he relates their actions, which led to the pathologization of authoritarian rule. He does not forget about bloody massacres, mysterious disappearances of political adversaries, suppression of rebellions, rape and cruelty of torture, nor about embezzlement, excessive debauchery and immoral behavior of the heroes of his book.
However, there is a gloomy conclusion that being a dictator is still one of the most tempting and desirable professions for many. In addition, one that does not require special education, knowledge and predisposition, and which - as history shows - provides a great deal of publicity.
In Mikal Hem's book we read about the fate of the most important dictators of the 20th and 21st centuries. Nicolae Ceauşescu and Kim Ir Sen (source:Romanian National Archives; license public domain) were among them.
"How to Become a Dictator" in a crooked mirror shows the mechanisms and features thanks to which the "suns of nations" from all over the world came to power and with its help eliminated their opponents. It also shows that the story of bloody and ruthless dictatorships can also be a story of rebellion and growing social frustration that leads to revolutions against absolute power.
Mikal Hem - Norwegian journalist and political commentator. He has worked for the high-circulation dailies "Dagbladet" and "Verdens Gang", as well as for the magazine "Ny Tid". He also collaborated with the state-owned radio and television company NRK. He traveled professionally, incl. around Africa and the countries of the former Soviet Union. As a child, he spent two years with his family in Zimbabwe, under the rule of Robert Mugabe. Since the Norwegian premiere of " How to become a dictator "the book was translated, among others into Turkish, Hungarian, German and Serbian.
Title: How to become a dictator. A manual for novices
Author: Mikal Hem
Translation: Sławomir Budziak
Publisher: The Taste of the Word | AGORA
Premiere: November 9, 2016
Buy the book at a discount on empik.com
