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The Finest Hotel in Kabul
A Peopleโs History of Afghanistan
Brief Description
The Finest Hotel in Kabul is described by Elif Shafak as "A book brimming with deep insight, courage and conscience. Astonishingly beautiful, subtle and simply unforgettable." The Finest Hotel in Kabul is the winner of the Women's Prize Non-Fiction Prize 2026 and has been recognised as...
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September 2026
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Description
The Finest Hotel in Kabul is described by Elif Shafak as "A book brimming with deep insight, courage and conscience. Astonishingly beautiful, subtle and simply unforgettable."
The Finest Hotel in Kabul is the winner of the Women's Prize Non-Fiction Prize 2026 and has been recognised as Book of the Year by major publications including The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Observer, and Economist.
In 1969, the Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul opened its doors: a glistening white box, high on a hill, reflecting Afghans' hopes of a modern, democratic future.
In the decades since, its staff have endured two coups, a Soviet occupation, the US invasion, and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban. Remarkably, the Inter-Con has never closed its doors.
In The Finest Hotel in Kabul, Lyse Doucet offers a vividly human history of modern Afghanistan through the lives of the people who have passed through its battered halls. It is the story of a hotel, and the story of a people.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781804957943
Publisher: Cornerstone
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 27 August 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Penguin (Cornerstone)
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 35.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 500g
Pages: 448
About the Author
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.
Also by Lyse Doucet
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Women's Prize WinnerThe Finest Hotel in Kabul
The story of a hotel. The story of a nation. When the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan's first luxury hotel symbolised a dream of a modernising country connected to the world. More than fifty years on, the Inter-Continental is still standing. It has endured Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a grievous civil war, a US invasion and the rise, fall...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Finest Hotel in Kabul
A book brimming with deep insight, courage and conscience. Astonishingly beautiful, subtle and simply unforgettable. Elif Shafak Ingenious KAMILA SHAMSIE Incredible PETER FRANKOPAN Beautiful RORY STEWART In 1969, the luxury Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul opened its doorsโa 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...HardbackSold Out
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Women's Prize Winner
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