Saleem Haddad
Saleem Haddad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Saleem Haddad 1983 Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Nationality | United Kingdom, Lebanon, Jordan |
Notable work | Guapa |
| Website | saleemhaddad |
Saleem Haddad (born 1983) is an author, filmmaker 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] Haddad was subsequently raised and 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 , "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]
As part of the London Literature Festival, Haddad was awarded the Polari First Book Prize 2017. The prize is awarded annually to a writer whose first book explores the LGBT experience, whether in poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction.[6]
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.[7] He currently lives in Lisbon with his partner.[7]
In 2018 Haddad wrote and directed his first short film, Marco.[8] The film had its World Premiere at Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival in Tunis, and its European Premiere at BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival in London, both in March 2019. The film subsequently screened internationally at festivals including Palm Springs International ShortFest[9] and Outfest Fusion,[10] and was nominated for Best British Short at the 2019 Iris Prize.[11] In April 2020, the film was made available on YouTube.
References[]
- ^ "Guapa By Saleem Haddad". WAMC, May 19, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Author Saleem Haddad on the Middle East's 'don't ask, don't tell' gay culture". Attitude, March 8, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "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.
- ^ Attitude: Saleem Haddad wins Polari first book book prize
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Saleem Haddad: On the Arab Spring and Writing About the Queer Arab Experience". Lambda Literary Foundation, May 21, 2016.
- ^ Haddad, Saleem (2019-03-31), Marco (Short, Drama), Zed Josef, Marwan Kaabour, Amal Haddad, retrieved 2021-01-19
- ^ "Marco | Palm Springs International Film Festival". www.psfilmfest.org. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- ^ "Beyond Borders | Outfest". Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- ^ "Marco". Iris Prize. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
External links[]
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| General | |
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- 1983 births
- Living people
- Kuwaiti novelists
- Kuwaiti people of German descent
- Kuwaiti people of Iraqi descent
- Kuwaiti people of Lebanese descent
- Kuwaiti people of Palestinian descent
- Kuwaiti emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Gay writers
- British male novelists
- English people of German descent
- English people of Iraqi descent
- English people of Lebanese descent
- English people of Palestinian descent
- 21st-century British novelists
- LGBT writers from England
- Writers from London
- LGBT Muslims
- 21st-century English male writers