Havahtuneita: Kuvaus nykyaikaisesta haaremielämästä

André Lhéry is a celebrated novelist who spends his spring mornings alone in a modest lakeside cottage, sifting through a relentless stream of letters that arrive from admirers across the continent. The correspondence ranges from ardent declarations of sister‑souls to desperate pleas for help, each envelope a reminder of the fragile connection he maintains with strangers who see him as a confidant. As the pile grows, André feels both flattered and burdened, aware that his words have taken on a life of their own in the lives of these distant women.

Among the mail, a single envelope stamped from Istanbul catches his eye, its exotic seal stirring memories of past encounters with Turkish women whose lives once brushed against his own. The letter’s elegant French prose and references to ancient poetry draw him into a world of minarets, bustling bazaars, and a lingering sense of mystery that both excites and unsettles him. Intrigued, André decides to reply, setting in motion a delicate exchange that promises to reveal the hidden nuances of a modern harem through the eyes of a writer caught between imagination and reality.