The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool : A Syrian Journey

Based on five journeys undertaken over as many years, this remarkable book is entirely concerned with the slow journey towards friendship, revealing a side of the country rarely glimpsed in conventional travel writing. Rather than focusing on coups or conspiracies, iconic monuments or historic travellers, Kociejowski introduces us to a chance handful of Syrians: Myrna, a Christian faith-healing stigmatic; Yasser, a Palestinian refugee and political activist; Abu al-Tahib, a prince of fools; a modern desert father, Paolo Dall'Oglio; and the street philosopher and holy fool of the book's title. Each encounter builds a tender, intimate portrait of a people and a place. Written during the era of conversation, before the use of mobiles and long before the current civil war, this book was saluted as a travel classic on first publication just twelve years ago. Now it stands in danger of becoming a testament to the last of the old Levant—a precious record of a Syria that has been forever changed.