This is not a faithful biography and many characters are fictional. Others are real, like the character of Loxandra. What I tried to render as faithfully as possible are the historical events, customs, and spirit of the era. I hope I succeeded, because I experienced the old City in the early years of my life, and it remained deeply engraved in my mind. I caught the night watchman who proclaimed the fire at night, I caught the sentries and the bell of Tatavla, I caught the Turkish water carrier who asked Loxandra for a little miraculous holy water from Baloukliotissa to heal his aching eye. [...] [Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]