In this powerful and unsettling collection of short stories, Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz explores the psyche of a society grappling with disillusionment. Published after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the book abandons realism for surreal, dreamlike narratives. Mahfouz paints a world of absurdity and alienation, where characters navigate bizarre encounters and fragmented realities, reflecting a profound sense of loss and existential uncertainty in a world turned upside down. The stories serve as a potent allegory for the political and social atmosphere of the time.