Saleem Haddad
Saleem Yacoub Saleem Haddad (Arabic: سليم حداد; born 1983) is a queer Arab author, filmmaker and aid worker of Iraqi-German and Palestinian-Lebanese descent, His debut novel Guapa (2016), which explores the life of a gay man in an unnamed Arab country, received critical acclaim. Haddad has also written on LGBTQ+ issues in the Middle East and contributed to the anthology This Arab is Queer (2022).
Saleem Haddad
Saleem Haddad · CC BY 4.0
- Birth Name
- Saleem Yacoub Saleem Haddad
- Born
- 1983
- Birthplace
- Kuwait City, Kuwait
- Nationality
- Kuwait
- Occupation
- writer · film screenwriter · essayist · director
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Saleem Yacoub Saleem Haddad (Arabic: سليم حداد; born 1983) is a queer Arab author, filmmaker and aid worker of Iraqi-German and Palestinian-Lebanese descent, His debut novel Guapa (2016), which explores the life of a gay man in an unnamed Arab country, received critical acclaim. Haddad has also written on LGBTQ+ issues in the Middle East and contributed to the anthology This Arab is Queer (2022).
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Saleem Haddad (born 1983) is a director, essayist and film screenwriter, among other activities and a national of Kuwait. The director was born in Kuwait City. Saleem Haddad lived in London.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Key facts
Key facts
• Native Name — سليم حداد • Birth Name — Saleem Yacoub Saleem Haddad • Born — 1983 • Birthplace — Kuwait City, Kuwait • Notable Works — Guapa • Website — saleemhaddad.com
Early life
Early life
Saleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City in 1983 to a Palestinian father who was born and raised in Lebanon and an Iraqi-German mother. 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. Haddad was subsequently raised and educated in Amman and London. He studied economics at Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario in Canada.
Other work
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. He currently lives in Lisbon with his partner. In 2018 Haddad wrote and directed his first short film, Marco. 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 and Outfest Fusion, and was nominated for Best British Short at the 2019 Iris Prize. In April 2020, the film was made available on YouTube. Haddad contributed to the anthology This Arab is Queer (2022).
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- London
Named but not plotted · 1
Kuwait City.
Birth place
Books
Haddad's debut novel Guapa was released in March 2016 by Other Press. 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. 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". 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." 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. In February 2026, his second novel Floodlines was published by Europa Editions. This book is set over several decades and follows multiple family members as they grapple with their family's complex legacy and history in Iraq. Grief, art, cultural legacy and memory are main themes.
Primary material
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reference work
- “Saleem Haddad”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q24287409: Saleem Haddad
General reference · Wikidata
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.WAMC. Guapa By Saleem Haddad. WAMC Northeast Public Radio. 23 August 2016.
- 2.Kelly, Ben. Author Saleem Haddad on the Middle East's 'don't ask, don't tell' gay culture. Attitude. 8 March 2016.
- 3.Cain, Sian. Saleem Haddad: 'I put everything into this novel and it was a relief'. The Guardian. 15 December 2015.
- 4.Al-Shawaf, Rayyan. REVIEW: 'Guapa,' by Saleem Haddad. Star Tribune. 22 April 2016.
- 5.Briefly Noted. The New Yorker. 16 May 2016.
- 6.Attig, Derek. Buy, Borrow, Bypass: Finding Your Place in the World. Book Riot. 11 April 2016.
- 7.Haigh, Joshua. Saleem Haddad wins Polari first book book prize. Attitude. 14 October 2017.
- 8.Baladi Magazine,"Book Review: Saleem Haddad’s Floodlines", February 2026
- 9.Waterman, Stuart. Saleem Haddad: On the Arab Spring and Writing About the Queer Arab Experience. Lambda Literary Foundation. 21 May 2016.
- 10.Palm Springs International ShortFest. Marco. psfilmfest.org. 2019.
- 11.Beyond Borders Outfest.
- 12.Marco. Iris Prize.
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1- KuwaitPlace
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
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