The analytical context
The war in Iraq through the eyes of Polish and Czech reporters: The example of texts by Paweł Smoleński, Mariusz Zawadzki, Michal Kubal, František Šulc and Barbora Šámalová
This paper analyzes three reportage books focusing on the war in Iraq in 2003. Two reportages are Polish, the authors of the third book are Czech journalists. Paweł Smoleński focuses primarily on the knowledge of Iraqi culture and mentality in the face of building a new Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The armed conflict itself remains somewhat in the background of the reporter’s interest. Smoleński’s texts are closest to so-called literary coverage. Mariusz Zawadzki as an embedded correspondent — among other things — accompanied U.S. troops to cover combat operations. The texts of Czech reporters, some of which were in Iraq since the very beginning, are closer to the so-called “feature”. In addition, they are stylized as a reporter quasi-diary.