A trip to war-torn Syria

– and some thoughts on the challenges of reporting from war and conflict zones

Gabriele Riedle (a novelist and journalist)

April 20, 2026/18:00-19:30

Room 301, building 10, Sophia University

In person only/No registration necessary

During a recent trip to Syria, Gabriele Riedle, a Berlin-based journalist and writer, investigated the current situation in a country that has been — and continues to be — deeply affected by 14 years of extremely bloody civil war, as well as ongoing domestic and regional conflicts throughout the Middle East and on the international stage.

Unlike other countries in the region, Syria managed to free itself from tyranny, albeit at a high price: 600,000 people were killed and 13 million became refugees. Today, an Islamist government is in power and the notorious terrorist group Islamic State remains ever-present.

Riedle will talk about her experiences on the ground, the people from various social and ethnic groups she met, the political structures and the role of foreign powers in this extraordinarily complex historical situation.

She will then address some of the challenges that journalists face when reporting from war zones. Reporters' accounts and photographers' images are generally considered to be accurate representations of reality. As such, they play a decisive role in shaping our understanding of the world. However, by definition, they are artefacts, subject to rules, conditions and traditions, just like other artistic productions. Riedle will explore how war texts and images are created and how we can interpret them.

Gabriele Riedle is a German novelist and journalist based in Berlin. She has decades of experience reporting from around the world, especially in crisis regions and war zones, such as Afghanistan, Libya, Liberia, Chad, Chechnya, Yemen and, most recently, Syria. Her in-depth reports are distinguished by their sophisticated literary style and their precision of content. As a visiting professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, USA, has taught the cultural history of war reporting. One of her four highly acclaimed novels is an in-depth account of the experiences of a war photographer and a writer entitled In Jungles. In Deserts. In War. The novel was longlisted for the German Book Prize, the most prestigious German literary award.

This talk is organized by Sven Saaler (Professor, FLA, Sophia University).