The book is a collection of set pieces that are inter-linked, not in any direct way, but through thematic elements. At the heart of it, it is a metaphysical work with contemplations on life, death, and the nature of existence. The non-linear, fragmentary form of this work is very different from what Hijab Imtiaz Ali's contemporaries were writing, and suggests that Ali was at the forefront of Urdu Modernist literature.

Hijab Imtiaz Ali (Author) was a prominent Urdu literary figure. In her seven-decade-long writing career, she wrote several short stories, novels, and plays. Known as 'The Queen of Urdu Romanticism', Ali was a pioneer writer from Pakistan. With her book of short stories, 'Belles-Lettres', she appears to have been at the forefront of Urdu Modernist literature, before there was such a thing.
Sascha Aurora Akhtar (Translator) is an English-language poet and fiction writer with many publications to her name. She teaches poetry, mentors poets, and works as an editor. Her debut fiction, 'Of Necessity and Wanting', was shortlisted for the UBL Prize 2021 for literary excellence.