Garden of thorns

I do not intend this book for anything except the criticism that is called innocent these days, and the criticism that is directed at aspects of life and not at specific individuals of people. It is certain that I did not invent these words from scratch, nor did I derive these images from the air, nor did I seek them in China, nor in Japan, nor in the countries of India and Sindh. Rather, I live in Egypt, and I participate with the Egyptians in the life they live, and I take my share of what is in this life. What pleases and what displeases, and after that I know regions of the earth to which I traveled and resided, or read about them in books and travels, and after this and that I know generations of people among whom I lived, or I read their news and knew their traces in what I was able to show of the traces of people in the East. And the west, and the north and south. I do not claim, as Abu Al-Ala claimed, that I know all people, and that I have followed all generations of people. Abu Al-Alaa was precious when he said: No people of time passed through this world... except that some of their prophets were with me... Taha Hussein