Gilbert Sinoué - Averroès ou Le Secrétaire Du Diable (J'ai Lu, 2017) **½

 Gilbert Sinoué re-tells the life of the great Averroes, partly in his own name, partly from the perspective of later times and geographies: Paris, London, Florence. Even if the skeleton of the philosopher's life is presented, the narrative around it is fictional. I had expected a biography, but it wasn't. 

Nevertheless, his life is worth remembering and his influence on modern thinking should not be underestimated: he was one of the first people who publicly wrote and defended that if observation and facts, reason and logic where in contradiction with the holy Qu'ran or other holy scriptures, that this observation deserves priority over the holy texts. He was a strong supporter of Aristoteles and a reputable scholar and jurist. He advocated against literal interpretation of the Qu'ran and against new radicalism trends in Islam. 

Not surprisingly, he was also condemned later on by the catholic Church. 

An intereting book, but I hope to find a more historical biography of the scholar.