Umar Taha writes in this book: “I don’t feel any regret over the opportunities that I wasted. Instead, I am filled with satisfaction at the opportunities that I missed. I tried to save for those opportunities, better than I could have achieved them through normal means… It’s a loss. I don’t acknowledge any kind of bad luck. I believe that everything I experienced was exactly what I deserved based on my abilities. I accept the view of those who know me well—that I’m a miser, and that my failures are nothing more than stories of success. After I pass away, I hope to donate my body to research that can help explain why I felt grateful. Did I achieve what I dreamed of? Maybe. But one thing is certain: I achieved something that I never even dreamed of.” A poignant and profound biography of one of Egypt’s greatest contemporary writers.