A collection of fragmented narratives—including the tales of the Bishop of Pippidufka, the Imam of Siddi Ba’aaaka, and the Monk of Pei Pei du Fu Kwa—believed by scholars to be derived from a single ancient "ur-text."
The volume explores the recurring theme of the Disillusioned Appointee: high-ranking individuals (generals, political sycophants, or wealthy sons) who are granted religious posts in provincial backwaters. Expecting power and luxury, they instead find a flock that is "faithless, unhygienic, and prone to easy gullibility." From an Imam who literally whirls himself into a dust devil of apoplexy to a Monk fed "1000 Stone Soup," these tales serve as a biting critique of institutional pomposity and the absurdity of faith.
