ABOUT THIS BOOK Antun Sa'adeh is an example of a thinker of the first order, at all times independent, self-confident, and self-respecting, producing his work in defiance of dispiriting conditions. During many years he had neither independent income nor abundant leisure; he lived his entire life dedicated to a single vision which he single-handedly developed; and, although his literary and political activity was great in its range and abiding results, he also had a very human side which, surprisingly, has remained largely unexplored. Biographical details of this remarkable man have never been over-abundant. What we know about Sa'adeh's private life is still very sketchy. What we know about his personal preferences is sketchier still. This is where this book comes in. Its purpose is to give some insight into Sa'adeh's life and intimate personal details and to present an idea of his personality, so far as an idea may be formed from exceedingly fragmentary recollections. The chief source of material comes from memoirs of individuals who befriended Sa'adeh at some point in his life. The book is not a biographical study of Sa'adeh in the traditional sense but a set of individual reflections and reminisces that cast light on the human and private side of his life. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adel Beshara studied Economics at La Trobe University and Political Science at the University of Melbourne. He received his PhD in History in 2002 from the University of Melbourne, where he is also a teacher and a Fellow of the Department of History. His previous publications include Syrian Nationalism: An Inquiry in to the Political Thought of Antun Sa'adeh (1995); The Politics of Frustration: The Failed Coup of 1961 (2004); Outright Assassination: The Trial and Execution of Antun Sa'adeh in 1949 (2010); The Origins of Syrian Nationhood: Histories, Pioneers and Identity (2011); and several articles in leading journals on the Middle East.