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Facts That Contradict the Perception of Famous Historic Figures and Events

Khalid Elhassan March 3, 2021 34 min

Mao Zedong proclaiming the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. China Org

Original book cover of Zabibah and the King. Wikimedia

21. Saddam Hussein, the Romance Novelist

Saddam Hussein’s best-known novel is Zabibah and the King, a convoluted love story set in seventh-century Tikrit, Saddam’s hometown. The plot revolves around the beautiful and brilliant Zabibah, her perverted husband, and a handsome king named Hussein. Each night, Zabibah is summoned to Hussein’s palace, where she fobs off Hussein’s advances by giving long political speeches. Hussein’s hots for Zabibah increase, and… tension builds up between the duo.

Her husband, a deviant fond of orgies and money, is unhappy with the budding relationship between his wife and handsome Hussein. So hubby disguises himself and assaults Zabibah as she walks home from the palace one night in order to shame her. However, Hussein loves Zabibah too much to let that destroy the romance, so he goes after the perpetrator. After various adventures, Zabibah leads an army and is mortally wounded in battle, dying while proclaiming Arab nationalism with her last breath. Hussein kills the rapist, avenging Zabibah’s honor.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.