The Secret Life of Saeed (Third World Literature Series)

Literature & Fiction

Habiby, Emile

Literary

Zed Books

<p>Saeed, a buffoon, sitting in outer space, reflects on the life of Arabs in Israel, in lengthy letters sent to a friend</p>

The Secret Life of Saeed, the Ill-Fated Pessoptimist

Jayyusi, Salma Khadra

Gassick, Trevor Le

Readers International

The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist

Humor & Satire

INTERLINK+BOOKS

<p>Purposefully imitating Voltaire’s classic Candide, another dark comedy which derives its humour from life’s tragedies, Habiby’s The Secret of Saeed the Pessoptimist is a classic of Arab literature. The story of Saeed, a Palestinian who becomes a citizen of Israel, is a story of fact and fantasy, tragedy and comedy. At once a comic hero and luckless fool, his life is full of terror, aggression, resistence and heroism. As an informer for the Zionist state, Saeed’s stupidity, candour and cowardice make him more the victim than a villain; but in a series of tragicomic episodes, blundering from disaster to disaster, he is slowly transformed from gullible collaborator into a Palestinian intent on survival. The novel, informed by the author’s own experience in Israeli politics, is both biting and funny.</p>

The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist

Arabia Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Habiby, Emile. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Habiby, Emile