The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist by Emile Habiby

The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist

Emile Habiby with Salma Khadra Jayyusi (Translator), Trevor Le Gassick (Translator)

169 pages first pub 1974 (view editions)

fiction classics literary challenging emotional reflective slow-paced
Powered by AI (Beta)
Loading...

Description

This contemporary classic, the story of a Palestinian who becomes a citizen of Israel, combines fact and fantasy, tragedy and comedy. Saeed is the comic hero, the luckless fool, whose tale tells of aggression and resistance, terror and heroism, re...

Read more

Community Reviews

3.76
based on 182 reviews

Moods

funny: 69%

reflective: 54%

challenging: 48%

sad: 48%

dark: 36%

emotional: 27%

informative: 27%

mysterious: 15%

adventurous: 9%

lighthearted: 9%

tense: 6%


Pace

34% of readers chose fast
53% of readers chose medium
12% of readers chose slow
fast
medium
slow

Plot or character driven?

16% of readers chose Plot
32% of readers chose A mix
52% of readers chose Character
Plot
A mix
Character

Strong character development?

33% of readers chose Yes
50% of readers chose Complicated
16% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Loveable characters?

39% of readers chose Yes
43% of readers chose Complicated
13% of readers chose No
4% of readers chose N/A
Yes
Complicated
No
N/A

Diverse cast of characters?

63% of readers chose Yes
4% of readers chose Complicated
31% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Flaws of characters a main focus?

69% of readers chose Yes
21% of readers chose Complicated
8% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Content Warnings

Submitted by users as part of their reviews

Expand filter menu View summary

See all...

Accept and close

By using The StoryGraph, you agree to our use of cookies.
We use a small number of cookies to provide you with a great experience.

Find out more