In 1959, she shocked the Arab world with a novel in which she wrote openly about love; this breakthrough novel Ayyam Maahou (Days With Him) was the first time a woman had audaciously written about a subject considered taboo in conservative Syrian society.[6] Ayyam Maahou was inspired by a love affair with the legendary Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani.[2] Colette created a strong woman in her story whose love was not so overpowering that it blinded her or made her weak, in order to maintain the image of a strong, female leader.[3] In the story, the protagonist and narrator, Rim, against society and her family, as she tries to develop her personal identity.[4] While Rim's parents died when she was young and thus never could dominate her adult life, her father's domineering presence still haunts her after he has passed.[3] Rim is also disgusted by the institution of marriage in its traditional form. In the story, she says forcefully, "No! I was not born only to learn cooking and then to marry, bear children, and die!