In bookstores around Poland cash tills ring to the sound of the controversial biography of celebrated journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski clocking up record sales, on its official release date, Wednesday.

Copies of the scandal-making biography are getting hard to find as the 45,000 copies sell fast. Publisher Świat Książki says it is preparing a large second print of the book in mid-March, which alleges the cooperation of the author of the prize-winning Soccer Wars with the communist secret services, that he cheated on his wife and that much of his reportage was simply fiction.

Agata Płatek, director of sales and promotion at the publishers admits to being “surprised” that Kapuscinski - non fiction, written by Artur Domosławski has almost sold out within days of release.

The late Kapuscinski’s wife, Alicja, who tried to get an injunction against the publisher to block its publication, told Polskie Radio on Wednesday that she was shocked by the contents of the book when she read it, which alleges her husband was as much as a writer of fiction as prose. The biography claims that Kapuscinski - who specialised in what claimed to be eye-witness accounts of events in South America and Africa - never met figures such as Che Guevara or Salvador Allende, and the reports that he had were lies.

“The book surprised me," Alicja said. Describing its contents and writing of the book as “gross fraud” she said she felt betrayed.

“I gave Domosławski the addresses, phone numbers, business cards. […] Then I lost contact with him.”.

Artur Domosławski, however, says he did not write the book to spoil the memory of a great journalist. "I wrote a book with empathy and sympathy for its hero. I still think Kapuscinski is the master," he said. “He was, though, a complicated man.” (pg)

Sources: IAR Tok FM