'People say I am a megalomaniac. It is not true. I am an exceptional being, providence incarnate, envied by gods, able to make a faith of his cause.' October 2011. In the dying days of the Libyan civil war, Muammar Gaddafi is hiding out in his home town of Sirte along with his closest advisors. They await a convoy that will take them south, away from encroaching rebel forces and NATO aerial attacks. The mood is somber. In what will be in final night, Gaddafi reflects on an extraordinary life, whilst still raging against the West, his fellow Arab nations and the ingratitude of the Libyan people. In this gripping imagining of the last hours of President Gaddafi, Yasmina Khadra provides us with fascinating insight into the mind of one of the most complex and controversial figures of recent history. AUTHOR: Yasmina Khadra is the pen name of award-winning Algerian author Mohammed Moulessehoul. He became director of the Algerian Cultural Centre in Paris in November 2007 and in November 2013 announced his candidacy for the presidency of Algeria. He did not win, but it gave him an opportunity to get involved in the political changes sweeping North Africa. He is a man whose life stands right at the intersection of the big debate about Islam and the West, Muslims in France, and the role of art and literature.
