In a present-day Istanbul rife with economic and political hardships, Fazil's comfortable existence is upended by his family's sudden financial ruin, followed swiftly by the death of his father. Forced to sell his belongings and move to an old boardinghouse, he discovers a new side of the city, populated by immigrants, poets, sex workers, and busboys, all struggling to get by. Written from his prison cell, Ahmet Altan's latest novel offers a witty, insightful view of modern Turkey and the lives of its "new poor" that shows how we can find light in the darkest times.
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