Here is the Rose

Jonah the calligrapher, the novel's hero, who is swallowed by the metaphorical whale, is likeable: a mixture of lover, rebel, adventurer and dreamer, who proceeds towards a grand goal. Alongside him are a host of characters who see him as he really is, while he is blind to his real self, since he is the Arab 'Don Quixote'. Don Quixote had a faithful follower who kept him in touch with reality, but who will do the same for Jonah? This novel gives its readers insight into a period in Arab history when dreams existed as though they were realities and realities as if they were dreams.