Renowned Egyptian novelist Alaa Al Aswany, author of the award winning The Yacoubian Building, discusses his experience during the Egyptian revolution and his book, The Republic of False Truths, which was released in English this year. “The Egyptians I lived with in Tahrir Square have nothing to do with the Egyptians I used to live with before the revolution," Aswany tells Gilles Kepel. "They are probably the same people, but something happened, and this something is great."

IMA Summer Series:

Al-Monitor and the Institut du Monde Arabe are pleased to announce that highlights of the Al-Monitor podcast ‘Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel’ are available this summer in French as part of a six-episode summer series. Gilles Kepel, one of the world’s leading experts on Islam, the Middle East and North Africa and a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, is the host of the Al-Monitor podcast featuring interviews with authors and thought leaders from around the world to discuss key trends in the region.

About Al-Monitor:

Al-Monitor, honored with the International Press Institute’s Free Media Pioneer Award in 2014, provides reporting and analysis on the Middle East. Al-Monitor offers an in-depth focus on Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey as well as US Congressional developments.

About The Institut du Monde Arabe:

The Institut du Monde Arab was founded in 1980 by France alongside 18 Middle East and North African nations to research and distribute information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute is located in Paris in a building that was the recipient of the 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence.