The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool

August 22, 2016
This reprinted 2004 travelogue is an intriguing narrative of the author's adventures in and around Syria in the early 2000s, including sojourns in Antioch, Aleppo, and Damascus. Kociejowski centers his story on two friends in Damascus, Abed and Sulayman, and his conversations with them over the course of multiple trips to the city. Kociejowski also narrates a number of side trips, including to the monastery of Deir Mar Musa, the house of a stigmatic in Damascus, and the purported site of Abel's murder. The main thrust of the book concerns Kociejowski's interest in mystic spirituality within modern Islam, particularly the titular roles of holy fool and street philosopher. Sulayman and Abed, presented respectively as representatives of these types, introduce Kociejowski to others. The story of the three men's friendship could very easily come across as exploitative, but it's saved by Kociejowski's self-consciousness and evident interest in doing more listening than talking (or writing). It is difficult at times to say what the point of the book isâa tourist diary? The story of a tripartite friendship?âand Kociejowski is not immune to couching the occasional description in rather Orientalist terms. However, his interest in the people and things around him comes through as genuine and unpretentious, and, as the book continues, the clichés drop away. Kociejowski has since written a sequel, The Pigeon Wars of Damascus, for those who wish to pursue the story further.