The dehumanization of the Arabs who emigrated to "Mother France" is the subject of Chraïbi's second novel, echoing Simple Past. This time, however, the focus is more on the values and customs of the West, whose promises to the Islamic world appear as a facade for violence and exploitation. The story unfolds in the mind of Yalaan Waldik, an "Arabo" who aspires to record in writing the experiences of his people in the gutters of French society. First published in French in 1955.