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Saleem Haddad

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Saleem Haddad
سليم حداد
Born
Saleem Yacoub Saleem Haddad

1983 (age 40–41)
Kuwait City, Kuwait
NationalityBritish, Lebanese, Jordanian
Notable workGuapa
Websitesaleemhaddad.com

Saleem Yacoub Saleem Haddad (Arabic: سليم حداد; 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

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Saleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City in 1983 to a Lebanese-Palestinian father and an Iraqi-German mother.[2] His Palestinian Christian grandmother was born in Nazareth and lived in Haifa before being displaced to Beirut during the Nakba. His parents met in Baghdad during the Lebanese Civil War, and moved to Kuwait during the Iran–Iraq War. After Haddad's birth, during the Gulf War, the family moved again to Cyprus.[3] Haddad was subsequently raised and educated in Amman and London.[2] He studied economics at a university in Canada.[3]

Books

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Haddad's debut novel Guapa was released in March 2016 by Other Press.[4] 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.[4]

The novel was excerpted by VICE as well as Kalimat magazine, and received widespread acclaim, with The New Yorker calling it a "vibrant, wrenching début novel".[5] 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."[6]

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.[7]

Other work

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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.[8] He currently lives in Lisbon with his partner.[8]

In 2018 Haddad wrote and directed his first short film, Marco.[9] 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.

Haddad contributed to the anthology This Arab is Queer (2022).

References

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  1. ^ Joe Donahue (23 August 2016). "Guapa By Saleem Haddad". WAMC Northeast Public Radio (Podcast). WAMC. Event occurs at 10:10. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b Kelly, Ben (8 March 2016). "Author Saleem Haddad on the Middle East's 'don't ask, don't tell' gay culture". Attitude (Interview). Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cain, Sian (15 December 2015). "Saleem Haddad: 'I put everything into this novel and it was a relief'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b Al-Shawaf, Rayyan (22 April 2016). "REVIEW: 'Guapa,' by Saleem Haddad". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Briefly Noted". The New Yorker. 16 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 June 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  6. ^ Attig, Derek (11 April 2016). "Buy, Borrow, Bypass: Finding Your Place in the World". Book Riot. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. ^ Haigh, Joshua (14 October 2017). "Saleem Haddad wins Polari first book book prize". Attitude. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b Waterman, Stuart (21 May 2016). "Saleem Haddad: On the Arab Spring and Writing About the Queer Arab Experience". Lambda Literary Foundation (Interview). Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Marco". psfilmfest.org. Palm Springs International ShortFest. 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Beyond Borders | Outfest". Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Marco". Iris Prize. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
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