63/Queerness, Literature and Revolution (With Saleem Haddad)

Today we'll be talking to Saleem Haddad. He is the author of Guapa, the director of Marco and a 2nd time guest on The Fire These Times.

Topics discussed:

What constitutes queer literature?; Muhammad Abdelnabi; Ocean Vuong; James Baldwin; The Personal is Political; Pedro Lemebel; Israeli pinkwashing; criticizing the so-called ‘gay international’ by Joseph Massad; how ‘anti-imperialism’ and ‘post-colonialism’ is used by authoritarian groups and regimes including Hezbollah and Assad; Queerness in revolutionary settings (in the Arab-majority world); Revolutionary feminism; LGBTQ liberation and the Syrian revolution; being sensitive to authoritarian logic; queerness as a changing and developing identity; understanding social constructs.

Books/Works Mentioned:

• In the spider’s room: a novel by Muhammad Abdelnabi
• On earth we’re briefly gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
• Go tell it on the mountain by James Baldwin
• Manifesto (I speak for my difference) by Pedro Lemebel
• Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
• Cleanness by Garth Greenwell
• The appointment by Katharina Volckmer

PATREON Help me make more podcast episodes by supporting me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/firethesetimes

PAYPAL If you'd rather make a one-time donation you can do it via PayPal: https://paypal.me/ibnbaldwin

BLOG POST https://thefirethisti.me/2021/02/16/63-queerness-literature-and-revolution-with-saleem-haddad/

If you can’t donate anything, you can still support this project by sharing with your friends and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Music by Tarabeat.