The novel’s name comes from merging the Arabic words for pessimist (al-mutasha’im المتشائم) and optimist (al-mutafa’il المتفائل), to describe the narrator Saeed’s unique way of viewing the world.[2] Saeed, the novel’s narrator, frequently recounts tragic events related to his family and the plight of Palestinians, but adds in comic flourishes to show his “optimistic” side
This is part of the “What are words for?” project.
This word scored a seven on a three part scale of allusiveness, political oomph and cultural capital (min score 1, max score 3 for each part of the scale)
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