Attacks, refugee crisis, disputes with allies: The Syrian war casts its shadow over Europe. War correspondent Carsten Stormer knows the background of the seemingly endless conflict firsthand. He is smuggled across the border by helpers, accompanies rebels to the front, and discusses with Islamists. In the war zone, he encounters not only misery. He meets people who get involved, alleviate suffering, defend themselves, and avert the seemingly inevitable, while the rest of the world simply watches.
In his new book, “The Shadows of the Orient,” Carsten Stormer recounts his journeys to the war and crisis zones of the Middle East, primarily Syria and Iraq. The book will be published on March 16th by Verlag Bastei Lübbe. The media magazine "journalist" exclusively publishes in its March issue Excerpts.
Reviews for the book:
„We are few. Hardly any Western journalist has ventured into Syria's rebel territories more in recent years. But that is the price of being able to research and report accurately at all. We are few, and Carsten Stormer is one of them. The fact that he is an excellent storyteller is an added bonus. But above all: he tells what happened. With a harshness that may sometimes not be easy. But that is reality.“ (Christoph Reuter, Der Spiegel)
„A great, true book, direct and sad, and not at all comforting. The book is great literary journalism“ (Georg Diez, Der Spiegel)
„What keeps drawing a German journalist back to war? Anyone who reads this book will not only gain a better understanding of the conflict in Syria. But will also understand why Carsten Stormer has repeatedly traveled to the front lines as a reporter for years. „The Shadows of the Orient” digs much deeper than the daily media noise. And the author is ruthlessly honest with himself. Great book. Chapeau. (Amrai Coen, Die Zeit)
“Rarely has a reporter written a more honest book.” (Wolfgang Bauer, Die Zeit)