How to be both

In this third novel by Ally Smith, after "The Coincidence" and "It Was But That Is the Truth" published by Dar Al-Mada, both of which are entirely new adventures in literature, the novelist moves away from traditional narrative storytelling and presents a work entirely based on intellectual associations, personal impressions, and digressions. This work is about Ally Smith; it is highly personal. The idea of writing it came to her while visiting a town in Ferrara, Italy, which contains ancient halls and palaces with frescoed walls by obscure 15th-century painters, during the time when the noble Este family ruled the town and Duke Borsò was preparing to be crowned as the ruler of the town. The rulers, noble titles, and palace owners loved appearances, luxury, and grandeur, and they enlisted the best painters to decorate their palaces with paintings depicting them alongside famous Greek gods. This Borsò, owner of the palace called "The Palace That Never Gets Bored" or "The Boredom Killer," Palazzo Schifanoia, appointed a talented young painter named Francesco del Cossa. The paintings were created in rooms called after the months of the year, with each room representing a Greek god.