Saleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City in 1983 to a Lebanese-Palestinian father and an Iraqi-German mother, and educated in Jordan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has worked as an aid worker with Doctors Without Borders in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, and currently lives in London, where he advises on inclusion of refugees, women, and young people in the transition and peace processes of the Arab Spring.
A 2017 Stonewall Honor Book
“[A] vibrant, wrenching début novel...sensuous and caustic, full of
smoke and blood.” —The New Yorker
“An explosive debut. This day in a life of a gay man under a
post-Arab spring dictatorship is as compelling as it is
insightful…This immensely readable novel is fluent, passionate, and
emotionally honest. Equally astute in its analysis of Arab and
American mores, the book’s characters are nuanced and dynamic; it
gives fresh life to the maxim ‘the personal is political.’” —The
Guardian
“Guapa challenges the notion of what a ‘conventional’ love
story should look like, and as one of few queer novels with an Arab
protagonist, it must not be overlooked. Haddad has woven together a
fascinating story with elements of a life richly lived, and
if Guapa finds its way into the canon of queer
literature, we will all be stronger for it.” —Lambda Literary
“Those looking for a nuanced portrait of gay life in the modern
Middle East will find plenty to admire in this...promising
debut.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Haddad presents a striking look at gay life, the psychological
cost of conformity, and what it means to be true to yourself from a
Middle Eastern perspective.” —Booklist
“Warmly recommended to all readers who are interested in issues of
diversity and the Middle East.” —Library Journal
“A remarkable debut.” —The Huffington Post
“Haddad’s unwavering dedication to detail, narrative arc, and
consequence make Guapa necessarily poignant, uncomfortable,
and meaningful. Like all good art, it moves beyond itself to shine
a light on the world it bears.” —PopMatters
“The deeply personal and effortlessly readable narrative explores
the negotiations that a queer, Muslim, American-educated man in
love is forced to make in spaces where his identity is constantly
called into question.” —The Huffington Post
“Set in an unnamed Middle Eastern country across the course of one
day, Guapa follows the story of Rasa, a young gay man who has been
caught in bed with a boyfriend by his overbearing grandmother…Rasa
exists against a backdrop of civil unrest, heavy-handed police and
homophobia. Faced with the prospect of never seeing his lover
again, the novel gives us an insight into how it feels to be in
love in a society where that love remains strongly forbidden. ‘I
dreamt of kissing his cheek, because it struck me that to kiss your
lover’s cheek in public was quite ordinary,’ Rasa writes, sharing
his painful desire and longing in a story that is equal parts
romance and thriller. Through flashbacks, we learn of Rasa’s
younger life; his parents deaths, his awakening sexuality, and his
time studying in the U.S., where he is distrusted in the wake of
terror attacks in the west. Saleem Haddad is London based, but in
this novel he draws on his Middle Eastern heritage to paint a
truthful image of the manifestations and perceptions of
homosexuality within Arab culture. His background as an aid worker,
and in assisting refugees from the region, only further enhances
his understanding of the wider problems he discusses; notably the
fallout from the Arab Spring, and the rise of Islamic extremism.
Guapa sets Haddad up as a literary voice capable of narrating
untold stories of the modern gay experience, from one of the most
complicated parts of the world.”—Attitude Magazine
“Haddad comes from a multi-cultural background: ‘Palestinian,
Lebanese, Iraqi, German, Muslim and Christian,’ though he was born
in Kuwait City, where same-sex relationships between men is
punishable with up to seven years in jail. In his debut novel,
Rasa, a young gay translator living in an unnamed Middle Eastern
country, is caught with his lover (by his grandmother, no less),
and then his best friend is arrested, and we follow the fallout—as
well as delve into Rasa’s memories—throughout the day.”—The
Literary Hub
“Guapa shines beautifully in its moments of sweetness and
satire.” —Full Stop
“A provocative and emotional coming of age story, Guapa is an
excellent debut novel.” —Bustle
“Haddad’s portrayal of a modern Middle East where being gay is
still far from accepted in many places is riveting.” —Read it
Forward
"By turns politically nuanced and romantically tender." —Next
Magazine
“An engrossing and timely debut novel by a provocative new voice.
Haddad's characters are unforgettable.” —Randa Jarrar, author of A
Map of Home
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