Lyse Doucet: The Finest Hotel in Kabul
About this episode
Lyse Doucet reflects on her experiences at the Kabul Inter-Continental Hotel and the history of modern Afghanistan.
The history of the Kabul Inter-Continental Hotel is the history of a nation. Built in 1969, it has stood through Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a civil war, a US invasion and waves of Taliban control. Legendary international war correspondent Lyse Doucet arrived at the ‘Inter-Con’ for the first time in 1988. The Finest Hotel in Kabul chronicles 40 years of visits, during which Lyse reported on events that made world news and formed intimate connections with the people of Kabul. Listen as Lyse reflects on the story of modern Afghanistan as told by its people, in conversation with Debbie Whitmont. This episode was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Debbie Whitmont
Guest: Lyse Doucet
Topics covered
- Kabul Inter-Continental Hotel
- modern Afghanistan
- war correspondence
- Lyse Doucet
- history of Afghanistan
- Soviet occupation
- civil war
Keywords
- Kabul
- Lyse Doucet
- Afghanistan
- war correspondent
- history
- Inter-Continental Hotel
- Soviet occupation
- civil war
- Taliban
- Sydney Writers' Festival
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sydney Writers' Festival
Places: Kabul, Afghanistan
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