The Finest Hotel in Kabul

The story of a hotel. The story of a nation. When the Inter-Continental Hotel opened in central Kabul in 1969, it reflected the hopes of the country: a glistening white edifice that embodied Afghanistan''s dreams of becoming an affluent, modern power. Five decades later, and the Inter-Continental is a dilapidated, shrapnel-damaged shell. It has endured civil wars, terrorist attacks, the US occupation, and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban. But its decaying grandeur still hints at ordinary Afghans'' hopes of stability and prosperity. Lyse Doucet, the BBC''s Chief International Correspondent, has been staying at the Inter-Continental since 1988. She has spent decades meeting its staff and guests, and listening to their stories. And now, she uses their experiences to offer an evocative history of modern Afghanistan. It is the story of Mir, the supervisor who for five decades has witnessed diplomats, soldiers, journalists and politicians visit the hotel. It is the story of Fatima, who stayed at the Inter-Continental long before the arrival of the Taliban, and who fondly recalls its early glamour. And it is the story of Sadeq, the 24-year-old front-desk worker who personifies the ambitions of a new generation of Afghans. The result is a vivid exploration of daily life in one of the most dangerous cities on earth. It captures the soul of Afghanistan from within the walls of the Kabul Inter-Continental.

Autorentext
Lyse Doucet first arrived at the Kabul Inter-Continental Hotel on Christmas Day 1988, the day after her thirtieth birthday, to cover the withdrawal of Soviet troops. But she was immediately taken by the faded grandeur of the hotel and the warmth of its staff. Over the next four decades, Lyse would become one of the world's best-respected war correspondents, reporting on moments from the Arab Spring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as Chief International Correspondent for the BBC. Yet, she is always drawn back to her Afghan home, the hotel most people just call the 'Inter-Con'. Here, by drawing upon years of conversations with its staff and guests, she tells the story that only she can.

Klappentext

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026

The Sunday Times Bestseller
Shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards
Shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize
Shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize
Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Observer and Economist Book of the Year 2025

A sweeping and immersive history of modern Afghanistan - the first book from one of the world's leading war correspondents.

'Simply unforgettable' ELIF SHAFAK
'Terrific' THE TIMES
'Incredible' PETER FRANKOPAN
'Powerful and charming' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Utterly compelling' PHILIPPE SANDS
'Masterly' TELEGRAPH
'Ingenious' KAMILA SHAMSIE
'A must-read' SUNDAY TIMES
'Beautiful' RORY STEWART

In 1969, the luxury Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul opened its doors: a glistening white box, high on a hill, that reflected Afghanistan's hopes of becoming a modern country, connected to the world.

Lyse Doucet first checked into the Inter-Continental on Christmas Eve 1988. In the decades since, she has witnessed a Soviet evacuation, a devastating civil war, the US invasion, and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban, all from within its increasingly battered walls. The Inter-Con has never closed its doors.

Now, she weaves together the experiences of the Afghans who have kept the hotel running to craft a richly immersive history of their country. It is the story of Hazrat, the septuagenarian housekeeper who still holds fast to his Inter-Continental training from the hotel's 1970s glory days - an era of haute cuisine and high fashion, when Afghanistan was a kingdom and Kabul was the 'Paris of Central Asia'. Of Abida, who became the first female chef after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. And of Malalai and Sadeq, the twenty-somethings who seized every opportunity offered by two decades of fragile democracy - only to see the Taliban come roaring back in 2021.

Through these intimate portraits of Afghan life, the story of a hotel becomes the story of a people.

'Fabulous . . . A cross between the novel A Gentleman in Moscow and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel.' THE TIMES

'The Finest Hotel in Kabul plays to all Lyse Doucet's strengths. Clarity, empathy, depth of knowledge and innate grasp of fine detail . . . a most readable account of joy, despair and resilience in one of the world's most fascinating countries.' MICHAEL PALIN

'A deeply humane story of Afghanistan revealing the impact of decades of upheaval on everyday lives.' JUDGES OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

'Full of warmth, wit, and a lovely eye for the human stories that make the hotel not just a monument to tragedy, but also love and resilience . . . This is the book about an Afghanistan I never knew that I always wanted to read.' FINANCIAL TIMES

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