Abu Batta

Mikhail Naimy

"I entered the shop, and at the back, I saw a middle-aged man sitting at a small table. In one hand, he held a pair of scissors, and in the other, a piece of fabric. In front of him was a small wooden board with holes of varying sizes. He was bent over it, measuring the fabric. I greeted him, and he returned the greeting without raising his gaze to me. When I told him what I needed, he replied with extreme coolness, while still engrossed in his work: 'Is your time made of gold?'" In this collection of short stories, as in "Once Upon a Time" and "The Elders," the author presents various aspects of daily human life. He embodies them with a pen that understands the strengths and weaknesses of the human soul and excels at portraying them, thereby captivating the reader's interest and leading them into the deep recesses of life. He entertains the reader for hours of reading, an experience rarely available except with masters of creativity and princes of eloquence.