Stephans Hafencouch : Ukraine - Couchsurfing in der Ukraine – meine Reise durch ein Land im Krieg // Lesung

In the organizer's words:

What happens when a bestselling author doesn't settle for hotel rooms, but spends the night on other people's living room sofas - in the middle of countries that otherwise hardly allow any personal insights? For years, Stephan Orth has been traveling as a couch surfer through those parts of the world that usually only appear as headlines in the Western media: Iran, China, Saudi Arabia - and most recently Ukraine at war. In his new lecture series "Stephan's Harbour Couch" , he is now bringing four of his travels to the stage for the Harbour Front Literature Festival as multimedia lectures accompanied by music to mark the 10th anniversary of the couchsurfing series: with authentic stories, surprising encounters, clever analyses and powerful images. From the festival center in the Rathauspassage and living room of the city, Stephan Orth takes the audience on breathtaking journeys - from the port of Hamburg to the most unusual sofas in the world.

About Stephan Orth

Stephan Orth, born in 1979, is a journalist and author of several SPIEGEL bestsellers. He worked as an editor in the travel section of Spiegel Online for nine years before devoting himself entirely to writing and lecturing. His books about couchsurfing in Iran, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine have been translated into ten languages. Orth lives in Hamburg.

Stephan's harbor couch: Ukraine

Couchsurfing in Ukraine - my journey through a country at war

Stephan Orth has been spending over eight months in Ukraine since May 2022. He traveled across the country - from Kyiv to the Donbass - and lived with people who held on to their confidence despite all the destruction. His experiences are an impressive chronicle of everyday life under fire, characterized by courage, resilience and a deep human togetherness.

A moving evening with live Ukrainian music by Daria Fomina and Oles Volinchik.