For an Orientalist—even one of Maxime Rodinson's caliber—to spend seven years in our country is not a sufficient pretext to write a book about the details of his stay. But for this Orientalist to refrain from adding these years to his 'scholarly' credit—unlike others who spent less time among us and mastered Arabic less fluently—is indeed astonishing... In response to the curiosity sparked by the man's position of 'integrity,' these conversations came to be, resulting in this humble book, which aspires to be nothing more than a 'retroactive' tribute to a man whose Orientalism exempted him from Orientalism!

About the Author:

Faisal Jalloul was born in Zalka, Lebanon, with roots in the Beqaa Valley.

• He studied at the Arab and Lebanese Universities and continued his studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he still resides today. For years, he has repeated the slogan, 'No democracy, no development, no progress for slaves and followers... Democracy is exclusively for the masters, the free, and those with heads held high.'
• A writer, political commentator, and researcher, he has been working for years on a critical project of Arab political culture. His publications include 'Dialogue of the Mashriq and Maghrib' with Hassan Hanafi and Mohammed Abed al-Jabri (Arab Scientific Publishers, 5th edition, 2010), 'Egypt Through French Eyes' (2007, same publisher), and 'To Be an Arab Today' (Dar Al Massira, Tunisia, Fall 2012).
• He has studies and research on various Arab affairs, including 'Yemen: The Two Republics, The Two Revolutions, The Unity' (Dar al-Jadeed, 2000), 'Critique of the Palestinian Weapon' (1994, same publisher), 'The Lebanese Resistance and the Israeli Occupation of Southern Lebanon' (three editions, Dar al-Karmel, Amman, 1986-1987), 'The Iraqi Crisis and the Future of Arab Nationalism' (L'Harmattan, Paris, 2003, a collective work), and 'In Defense of Arab Peace' (Arab Institute for Studies and Publishing, 1998), which includes polemical texts with writer Hazem Saghieh on peace and normalization with Israel.
• He participates in talk shows on most Arab and some foreign satellite channels and radio stations, as well as in seminars and research circles in Europe and the Arab world.

Book Details:

• Publisher: Dar Al-Farabi for Publishing and Distribution
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Number of Pages: 160
• Cover Type: Paperback
• ISBN: 9789953718965