Les couleurs de L'infamie - Albert Cossery, Goal  

In French, hardcover 48 pages in color, Dargaud 2003, 2nd hand good condition.

Originally published in 1999, Les couleurs de L'infamie is the last novel by Egyptian writer Albert Cossery. The story takes place in Cairo and follows Ossama, a classy and ironic pickpocket who refuses to rob the poor on moral principles. Ossama dresses with the same care as the "licensed thieves" (politicians and bankers) to circulate unnoticed among the elite. The central conflict arises when Ossama steals the wallet of a wealthy real estate developer and finds a compromising letter in it. The document proves the businessman's responsibility in the collapse of a building that caused the death of dozens of people. Instead of using the letter for financial blackmail or formal denunciation, Ossama uses it as an instrument of diversion and derision to expose the absurdity and corruption of the system.