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Author's name: Al-Bashir bin Salama

The tetralogy "The Passersby" is one of the most important novels in contemporary Tunisian literature. Its events take place in the century preceding Tunisia's independence. It deals with the history of two Tunisian families, from whose members the author chose four characters, naming each novel after one of them. The order of publication was as follows: "Aisha" (1982), "Adel" (1991), "Ali" (1996), and "Al-Nasser" (1998). "The Passersby," with its many heroes and characters, is a kind of fictional history of Tunisian society during that important period in the country's history. "Adel," a member of Tunisia's ruling class, first appears in "Aisha" as a person inclined toward isolation and contemplation, captivated by his thoughts and writing. When he became convinced that Habib Bourguiba and his comrades represented the nation's future, he joined their party. However, they maintained doubts about his loyalty due to his family affiliation, so he preferred to retreat to the margins, spending his time gambling and love, attending a symposium or a meeting. Until April 9, 1938, a memorable day in the history of the Tunisian national movement. On that day, Adel was arrested in a gambling hall, while his real charge was that he had been seen participating in one of the demonstrations that swept the country. That date heralded change in Tunisia, just as it heralded change in the life of the protagonist of this novel.