The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist

reviewed by Peter Ryan

Not many novelists would think to write a comedy about the unfolding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even fewer would dream of starting this novel with a claim by the Palestinian anti-hero protagonist that he has been in contact with men from outer space. But Emile Habibi's novel, the Secret Life of Saeed, does exactly that. And guess what? It's hilarious. It's also extraordinarily tragic-and therein lies the genius: Habibi manages to blend the tragic and the comic in such a way that readers are left with a fresh and deeply disturbing comprehension of the pain Palestinians have suffered.

The comedy helps highlight the sheer unbelievably of the situation in the eyes of most Palestinians-their loss of homes and property, the settlements and the military occupation-the situation, to some, may seem so utterly absurd that one's only recourse is to laugh out loud.

Emile Habibi, the now deceased author, was no less puzzling than his novel. As a Palestinian living within Israel-an Israeli-Palestinian-he served on the Israeli Knesset for three terms and was one of Israel's most well-respected Arab journalists. The Secret Life of Saeed has won him acclaim both in Israel and the Arab world, not just because of its fearless dissecting of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also because of the freshness and humor of his style. With short (one or two page) chapters in the form of letters that Saeed is writing to an unnamed acquaintance, the format of Habibi's novel purposefully imitates Voltaire's classic Candide, another dark comedy with a relentlessly fast pace, which derives its humor from life's tragedies.

In the first chapter Saeed, Habibi's comic anti-hero, claims to have been visited by men from outer space making the story from the start highly unbelievable-the true parts (such as the exile of the Palestinians) being perhaps even more shocking and unbelievable than the fictional aspects. As Saeed himself suggests, one of the most unbelievable events is also the most tragic: one's own death-which no one truly, deep down, can fully believe in. One can't help but find the character of Saeed endearing-perhaps because he fails at everything he attempts. He tries to be a Palestinian freedom fighter but fails. Then he tries his hand at the task of being a paid puppet of the Israeli government but fails at that too, with equally humorous results. Habibi could have chosen to write a story about a Palestinian hero, either a pacifist or a warrior, who somehow rises against the oppression under which his people suffer, but, instead, he presents a character riddled with incompetence and foolishness, leaving him open to ridicule by all sides. In Habibi's story, there are no heroes, only a long list of characters lost in a tragic and confusing whirlwind of political events and everyone-Arabs and Israelis-become suitable targets for parody and criticism.

Before reading Saeed it's recommended that you familiarize yourself with the basic history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially the events of 1948. Numerous references are also made to other works of literature, most notably Shakespeare and a 1,001 Nights. But, regardless of your level of familiarity with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the classics of both Western and Eastern literature, the Secret Life of Saeed is a book that you can't afford to miss.

Buy this book now at Amazon.com

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This article is a Middle East Window exclusive. It cannot be republished without the prior written consent of the editor. For information about republication rights, please contact: peter@middleeastfellowship.org