Saleem Haddad
| Saleem Haddad | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Saleem Haddad Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Nationality | United Kingdom, Lebanon, Jordan |
| Notable work | Guapa |
| Website |
saleemhaddad |
Saleem Haddad (born 1983 in Kuwait) is an author and aid worker of Iraqi-German and Palestinian-Lebanese descent, whose debut novel Guapa was published in 2016.[1]
Early life
Saleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City in 1983 to a Lebanese-Palestinian father and an Iraqi-German mother,[2] and was educated in Jordan, Canada, and the United Kingdom.[2]
Books
Haddad's debut novel Guapa was released in March 2016 by Other Press.[3] The book, set over 24 hours, tells the story of Rasa, a gay man living in an unnamed Arab country, and trying to carve out a life for himself in the midst of political and religious upheaval.[3]
The novel was excerpted by VICE, and received widespread acclaim, with The New Yorker calling it a "vibrant, wrenching début novel".[4] According to Book Riot, "Haddad maps postcolonial theory, post-revolutionary malaise, and post-outing upheaval onto your standard post-college, what-am-I-doing-with-my-life aimlessness, creating something wonderful and fascinating in the process."[5]
Other work
Haddad's work has also appeared in Slate and Muftah. He has also worked as an aid worker with Doctors Without Borders and other organizations in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.[6] He currently lives in London with his partner.[6]
References
- ↑ "Guapa By Saleem Haddad". WAMC, May 19, 2016.
- 1 2 "Author Saleem Haddad on the Middle East's 'don't ask, don't tell' gay culture". Attitude, March 8, 2016.
- 1 2 "REVIEW: 'Guapa,' by Saleem Haddad". Star Tribune, April 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Briefly Noted". The New Yorker, May 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Buy, Borrow, Bypass: Finding Your Place in the World". Book Riot, April 11, 2016.
- 1 2 "Saleem Haddad: On the Arab Spring and Writing About the Queer Arab Experience". Lambda Literary Foundation, May 21, 2016.