This novel is an event: a fast-paced conspiracy story, the captivating confession of a good-for-nothing, and a richly detailed documentary novel about a time of flight and unrest. It is the legacy of an artist who wandered through the European history of the 20th century, co-creating modernity and mingling with the greats of his time. Iliazd, a Georgian who spoke Russian, lived and died in France, and fell in love with the city of Constantinople, where he spent one of his most exciting years. Philosophia exuberantly recounts the years 1920/21, when the city was overcrowded with thousands of Russian soldiers from the White Army, who had been repelled by the Red troops, aristocrats with their families, courtesans, down-and-out intellectuals, and impoverished artists. A linguistic masterpiece that is truly one of a kind.