Book excerpt: The year is 1877 and the Ottoman Empire is embroiled in war. A young man escapes a crumbling fortress during a military siege. Disguising himself as a jester, he entertains the enemy camp before disappearing into the night. He sets out on a passionate and daring mission that involves a wealthy family, secret contrabandists, corrupt government officials, self-absorbed clerics, and a young propagandist from Constantinople. All are in pursuit of their own secret motives, while their nation lies on the brink of doom... First published in 1880, The Fool is Raffi's most renowned work and saw him hailed as a prophet after the Ottoman Empire's 30-year genocide (1894-1924) of its Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek populations came to pass.