Above a disused bar, in a dilapidated Parisian hotel that houses an
assortment of indigent, marginalized lost souls, one of the inhabitants,
a mysterious, reclusive holy man, is the subject of much speculation
from some of his fellow occupants and respectful reverence from others.
As the tale unfolds, the dynamics of this precarious microcosm are laid
bare, in a powerful portrayal of those society has forgotten.
Written when the author of Cain's Book was at the height of his
creative powers and enjoying an increasing reputation in avant-garde
literary circles, 'The Holy Man' is here presented with 'A Being of
Distances', 'Peter Pierce' and 'A Meeting', stories which similarly
tackle themes of loneliness and disenfranchisement.