Edward Said
USABiography of Edward Said
Edward Wadi Said, a Palestinian and American intellectual, literary critic, and literary theorist, was born on November 1, 1935, in Jerusalem, Palestine. His father, Wadi Said, was a Palestinian who served in the US Army in the Allied Expeditionary Forces during World War I, which granted the Said family American citizenship. While his parents were Greek Orthodox faithful, Edward considered himself an agnostic. He had four sisters. Said spent his childhood in Jerusalem and Cairo, where he attended elite British schools. After moving to the United States, he earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a doctorate in English literature from Harvard University.
Academic Career
In 1963, Edward began his career at Columbia University, where he eventually became a professor of English and comparative literature in 1991. As a cultural critic, Said is best known for his book "Orientalism" published in 1978. In this work, he analyzes cultural representations that form the basis of Orientalism. The book draws on the author's knowledge of colonial literature, literary theory, and poststructuralism. "Orientalism" harshly criticizes Western perspectives on the East and accuses Western academia of indirectly supporting and justifying colonialism. While Said's book had a significant impact on Middle Eastern studies, it faced criticism from leading scholars, most notably Bernard Lewis.
Views and Advocacy
As an intellectual, Edward expressed his thoughts on culture, music, and contemporary politics. He advocated for the establishment of a Palestinian state and supported equal political and human rights for Palestinians in Israel. Said called on the United States to pressure Israel to improve the situation for Palestinians. Journalist Robert Fisk referred to Said as the "most powerful voice" of the Palestinian people. However, Said also criticized Arab and Muslim regimes that acted against the interests of their own people.
Music and Other Works
Besides his academic pursuits, Said was a pianist and worked as a music critic for "The Nation" magazine. He wrote four books about music. His fourth book, "Music at the Limits," published in 2007, collected essays and articles on music from three decades of his work and offered unexpected evaluations of classical music and opera.
Later Life and Death
In 2000, Said traveled to his wife Mariam's homeland in southern Lebanon shortly after Israeli troops had withdrawn. He and his family visited the separation wall that served as the border between Lebanon and Israel. A photograph was published showing the Palestinian intellectual preparing to throw a stone towards Jerusalem. Calls were made to Columbia University to take administrative action against Said. However, Edward explained that his gesture was simply an expression of joy regarding the end of the occupation in southern Lebanon, and no punishment followed. On September 25, 2003, after a twelve-year battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Edward Said passed away at the age of 68 in New York City. He left behind his wife, daughter Najla, and son Wadi. Najla Said is an actress, playwright, and founder of the Arab-American theater troupe "Nibras."
