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March 14, 2026, 4:42 p.m.
The City 200 Years Ago: A New Series "Odesa Through the Eyes of Foreigners" Presented at the Bookstore-Café
This article also available in English609
PHOTO: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh
Robert Stevens ' description of Odesa through the eyes of an early nineteenth-century American was published in Ukrainian for the first time.
The publication was presented on March 13 at the renovated Bookstore-Café. According to the initiator of the series , Oleksandr Friedman , the publication will be only the first part of the series "Odesa through the Eyes of Strangers".
The author described the city, the port and the life of Odesa residents through the eyes of a person who saw Odesa 200 years ago. The book was written in 1819 and published in Newport (Rhode Island, USA). It was not long - only 30 pages, but Robert Stevens collected the most complimentary and factual excerpts from Charles Sicard's letters about the foundation of Odesa, its climate, and rapid population growth. The book actually analyzes why it is profitable for American entrepreneurs to transport goods to Odesa and export Ukrainian goods through its port.
There is almost no information about the author, Robert Stevens. He is related to Newport, but neither his occupation nor his place and year of birth are known. However, given that at the beginning of the nineteenth century Newport was one of the most important ports in the United States, we can conclude that the book was intended for merchant ship captains and shipowners looking for new markets. The circulation of the book was small - physical copies are available at the Library of Congress and the Rhode Island Historical Society.
In fact, the book was a lobbying document - a brochure to interest the United States in signing a trade agreement with the Ottoman Empire, because at that time American ships were not allowed to pass through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, which were controlled by Turkey. However, the agreement was signed 11 years after the book was published-in 1830.
By visiting the Bookstore-Café at 77 Evropeiska Street, you will not only support Ukrainian books and the local cultural space, but also independent journalism, as the project was created as one of the ways to support independent media.
