The Wise Man's Donkey

In "The Donkey of Al-Hakim," the autobiography of Tawfiq Al-Hakim is blended with imagined events, then with intellectual opinions and human and social reflections. A collection of chapters and images, written by Al-Hakim in his simple language, with his gentle humorous tone, all narrated through his purchase of a small, beautiful, white donkey as if made of marble, as the starting point of the story. This small donkey is also considered a "companion" and a "friend," and most importantly a "philosopher" and a "thinker." In this book, Al-Hakim indulges in criticizing the conditions of Egyptian rural areas, comparing them to the French countryside, and he expresses some of his opinions about women and their status in society. The book concludes with an engaging discussion about narrative writing, cinematic screenplay, the use of symbolism, and the methods of writing. A true treasure and valuable lessons from one of the masters of Egyptian writing in the twentieth century.