"This Crown" is not just a fairy tale, but a symbolic legend that reveals how power can transform from an instrument of justice into a weapon of injustice. In this engaging story, we follow a just king whose heart is seduced by the obsession of classifying people into "righteous" and "illegitimate." He seeks the help of a sorcerer who crafts him a crown that he claims can reveal the truth. However, the crown, which he thought was the key to justice, turns into a curse that pits him against his people and himself, and he finds the kingdom on the brink of collapse. Through an engaging narrative style that blends myth and wisdom, Wassef Al-Baroudi places us before a mirror in which to contemplate issues of society and freedom, asking ourselves: Can a false symbol provide the truth? Or is liberation only achieved by breaking the crown?

واصف البارودي (1874–1936م) شاعر وأديب مصري. كتب في الشعر الوطني والاجتماعي. شارك في الحركة الأدبية والسياسية. وكان من أعلام الأدب في عصره.