Yusuf is an inveterate observer of his native Beirut, that city of whores and city of dames , watching its bustle from a bar stool. But when one of his most promising students shows him several unfinished stories, Yusuf finds his life s drift is about to hit rough water.

The first prose work by respected poet Omar Sabbagh, this stunning, miasmatic novella draws the reader deep into a world where what goes on inside a person s head is more real and important than the world outside.