Il periplo di Baldassarre

Baldassarre Embriaco is the heir to a family of booksellers who, originally from Genoa, settled in the town of Gibelet in the Muslim Levant, finding fertile ground for their business. Following the recent death of his father, Tommaso, it is now up to Baldassarre to manage the family shop and meet the demands of his customers.

Even the strangest ones - such as the request for a miraculous book that purportedly reveals the hundredth name of Allah. It is a volume capable of performing miracles and saving its owner even from the Apocalypse, which some predict is imminent, with only a few months left until the fateful year of 1666, the year of the "Beast."

Baldassarre, a cultured and refined man, is skeptical. However, when a mysterious beggar gifts him a book that seems to be the very text everyone is searching for, he begins to doubt his certainties. When he is forced to sell it to a wealthy and powerful client, he decides he must recover it to unravel its mystery. Thus begins a long and adventurous journey that leads the protagonist—accompanied by his two nephews and a woman he has fallen for—across the entire Mediterranean and beyond, back to his ancient homeland.

Author: Amin Maalouf (أَمِين مَعْلُوف)

He is a world-renowned Lebanese-born French author and a member of the Académie Française. Known for his deep historical insights and elegant prose, his work often explores themes of identity, civilization, and the intersections of East and West.