Leon Sciaky, born when the Turkish flag still waved over Salonica, explored in his writing the anxieties and hopes of human existence in turbulent times. His work is characterized by a deep reflection on cultural identity and the search for roots in a tumultuous world. He brought a unique perspective to his prose, shaped by a life lived between worlds. His writings offer a profound examination of belonging and displacement.
Leon Sciaky describes his childhood before the First World War in a prosperous, loving Jewish family in the cosmopolitan city of Salonica. Under the Ottoman Empire, the city's diverse communities - Jews, Muslim Turks, Orthodox Greeks and Bulgarians - met, traded and lived alongside each other day-to-day in an atmosphere of tolerance.