num_pages: 169
description: The main character in the novel, Saeed the luckless pessoptimist, is a comic hero, a fool, in fact, who recounts the secrets of his life in the state of Israel in the form of a letter to an unnamed friend. This he does after he is safely ensconced somewhere in outer space.in the company of an extraterrestrial being who had come to Saeed’s rescue as he sat on top of a perilous stake, unable to move in any direction. Now, in the safety of his new home, Saeed can speak freely for the first time and the story he recounts is a heart-rending tale of defeat and rebellion, death and regeneration, terror and heroism, aggression and resistance, individual treason and communal loyalty; in short, of various aspects of a life lived constantly on the point of crisis. Enmeshed in the politics of the novel and its social complexities are the personal experiences of Saeed. He is an informer for the Zionist State, but his stupidity, uncanny candour, and cowardice make of him more the victim than the villain. Despite his constant attempts to please the Establishment, he never succeeds in becoming an important member of the Zionist secret service and he is rarely rewarded for services performed. He remains a little man, an alienated and frightened soul living on the margins of life. His immediate boss, Jacob, is a Sephardic (Oriental) Jew with whom Saeed forms a lifelong friendship. Jacob himself is oppressed by his own boss, an arrogant Ashkenazi (European) Jew, referred to in the book as the “Big Man.”
language: English
title: The Secret Life of Saeed, the Ill-Fated Pessoptimist
titlecomplete: The Secret Life of Saeed, the Ill-Fated Pessoptimist
genres: Fiction, Classics, Politics, School, Israel, War, Historical Fiction, Literature, Fantasy, Novels
ratings_count: 2413
publisher: Readers International