The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool : A Syrian Journey

The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool presents the unexpected face of Syria. 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.