The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool: A Syrian Journey - Marius Kociejowski
Classified as a travel book (at least on library shelves) the title is a surer guide. The author encounters the Holy Fool but it is an encounter with smoke--madness eludes engagement. Description is underpinned by research and lived experience. It's not what I expected. The role of the fool in a society I don't understand in the first place gave me no way to enter the book.