Saleem Haddad

Saleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City to an Iraqi-German mother and a Palestinian-Lebanese father. He has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières and other international organisations in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, and Egypt. His first novel, Guapa, was published in 2016, a political and personal coming-of-age story of a young gay man living through the 2011 Arab revolutions. His essays have appeared in LitHub, the Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others, and his short stories have been published in anthologies including Palestine +100 and Don't Panic I'm Islamic. His directorial debut, Marco, premiered in March 2019, and was nominated for the Iris Prize for Best British Short Film.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, due to unexpected circumstances, Saleem has had to reschedule for PalFest 2024.