Purposefully imitating Voltaire's classic Candide, another dark comedy which derives its humour from life's tragedies, Habiby's The Secret of Saeed the Pessoptimist is a classic of Arab literature. The story of Saeed, a Palestinian who becomes a citizen of Israel, is a story of fact and fantasy, tragedy and comedy. Publisher: Arabia Books Ltd Author(s): Imil Habibi Translator: Trevor Le Gassick Number of pages: 234 Publication date: 2010 Dimensions: 200 x 128 x 15 Cover type: Paperback / softback