Mathias Énard's 'Speak of Battles, Kings, and Elephants' transports readers to 16th-century Europe, chronicling a fictional, yet profoundly insightful, journey of Michelangelo. Invited by Sultan Bayezid II to design a bridge across the Golden Horn in Constantinople, the renowned Renaissance artist finds himself immersed in a world vastly different from Florence or Rome. The novel exquisitely explores themes of artistic creation, cultural exchange, and the clash and fusion of civilizations between East and West. Énard masterfully weaves a narrative that delves into Michelangelo's internal struggles, his observations of Ottoman society, and the philosophical implications of his extraordinary expedition, making it a compelling piece of historical fiction that transcends time.