How to be both

Author's name: Ali Smith Publisher: Al-Mada for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2017 Literary classification: Novel Brief about the book: How to be both by Ali Smith ... In this third novel by Ali Smith, after "The Accident" and "It Was But That Is the Truth" which were issued by Al-Mada, and they are entirely new adventures in the field of literature, the novelist moves away from traditional narrative storytelling, and presents us with a work entirely based on mental associations, personal impressions, and digressions. This work belongs to Ali Smith; it is highly personal. The idea of writing it came to her while visiting the Italian town of Ferrara, which contains ancient halls and palaces with frescoed murals by obscure 15th-century painters, during the time when the noble family of Este ruled the town and Duke Bursò was preparing to be sworn in as ruler of the town. The rulers, titled aristocrats, and palace owners loved to appear grand and magnificent, and they enlisted the best painters to decorate their palaces with paintings depicting them alongside famous Greek gods. This Bursò, 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, and each room depicted a Greek god.