1 Exposition
Mahmoud refused to go through with the traditional unthinking marriage that had been arranged for him. And rather than live among bad feelings he left home to become something he recognised as himself. He moved far enough away from his past to avoid any ambushes by it. Maybe Mahmoud overreacted when he cut all his ties, but he felt he’d had enough strident hysteria for one lifetime and made the break.
He moved to a small city unable to do much with the changing world around it, with a reputation for flagging and producing good artists, backed up by excellent statistics. He liked the way it knew 30% of its Muslim population were non- practising. He felt at home there. The figure was kept confidential in the way worst kept secrets always were. Personally, and it was a joke worth repeating, Mahmoud had never wanted to belong to any club that would have him as a member.
He was at the top of page one of a blank sheet of paper. To all intents and purposes, he led the life of the artist without being one, without needing to...
