The First Toast is to Peace: Travels in the South Caucasus brings alive a captivating part of the globe that the English-speaking world has been slow to appreciate. Stephen Powell, a British journalist, travelled through remote fastnesses in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and lost his heart to the Caucasus. The rugged beauty of the mountains, higher than the Alps, a strong sense of history and enduring traditions of hospitality give the region a flavour all of its own. Change came slowly to the Caucasus and in one part of Georgia the men wore chainmail armour until the 1930s.

The First Toast is to Peace leads the reader through these complex lands with first-hand accounts of distant trails, forays into history and conversations with local people about their hopes for the future. The narrative provides answers to questions great and small. How is Stalin regarded today in his native Georgia? How do you reach Khevsureti by horse? What is life like in Europe’s forgotten war zone, Nagorno-Karabakh?

The First Toast is to Peace is available on Kindle

Stephen Powell is a Welsh journalist who worked for Reuters for twenty-seven years. He has lived and worked on every continent except Antarctica and brings to his craft a deeply engrained global perspective. His reporting has included civil war and coups in Africa and Brazil’s transition from military rule to democracy. He lives in southern Portugal.

Stephen’s travelogue The First Toast is to Peace, Travels in the South Caucasus was published by SilverWood Books in 2018. His second book, Walking Europe’s Edge, Reflections on Portugal, followed in 2021.

'I hugely enjoyed The First Toast is to Peace. It’s an utterly compelling read. Incidental detail, lively pen portraits, geopolitical context, condensed histories are all woven together with great ease and skill.'

– Jon Nixon, retired education professor

'I’m not much given to writing book reviews but, once in a while, a book comes along that I’d like to bring to your attention.'

– Read the full review from Restless Jo here.

Stephen is interview in the February 2023 edition of Alyson Sheldrake's Algarve newsletter here.

Take a look at the Advance Information (AI) sheet here.

Read more about Stephen and The First Toast is to Peace in this article from the Abergavenny Chronicle.

Have a look at this article in the Abergavenny Chronicle about a talk given by Stephen about his book.