Edward Said

@Professor, Birthday and Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Edward Said was a Palestinian-American scholar who was a former member of the Palestinian National Council Atheists Atheists/Agnostics American Harvard University Princeton University Writers Miscellaneous Scorpio Celebrities Edward Said was a Palestinian born American professor and scholar. A literary theorist and academician, he wrote many books on literary criticism, musical criticism, and issues of post-colonialism. He was one of the most influential advocates in the U.S. who campaigned for the political rights and independence of the Palestinians—he was called ‘the most powerful voice” for Palestinians. He served as a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in a teaching career that spanned four decades. He is best known for his book ‘Orientalism’, published in 1978. In the book he discussed how certain assumption of the Western world leads to the misinterpretations of the cultural symbols of the Orient, particularly the Middle East. The book, considered to be a very significant writing on the post-colonial theory has been translated into many languages, and is a part of the prescribed reading for many political science courses. He was also a musical theorist who could play the piano very well; he also wrote several books on music. A public intellectual, he had interests in a variety of topics ranging from politics, literature, music, culture, teaching, and writing. He took an active interest in politics and served as an independent member of the Palestinian National Council (PNC).

Personal Details

Birthday: November 1, 1935 Died on: September 25, 2003 Nationality: American Famous: Professor, Atheists, Atheists/Agnostics, Harvard University, Princeton University, Writers, Miscellaneous Universities: Harvard University,Princeton University Notable Alumnis: Harvard University Princeton University Birth Place: Mandatory Palestine Information Detail Birthday November 1, 1935 Died on September 25, 2003 Nationality American Famous Professor, Atheists, Atheists/Agnostics, Harvard University, Princeton University, Writers, Miscellaneous Universities Harvard University,Princeton University Notable Alumnis Harvard University Princeton University Birth Place Mandatory Palestine Gender Male Sun Sign Scorpio Born in Mandatory Palestine Famous as Professor Died at Age 67

Mandatory Palestine

Edward Said born at Unsplash Birth Place

Edward Said married Marie Jaanus in 1962; the couple divorced in 1967. Unsplash Personal Life

In 1970, he married Mariam Cortas, a Quaker. They had two children. His daughter Najla, is an actress and playwright. Unsplash Personal Life

He died of leukemia on 25 September 2003 after battling the disease for 12 years. Unsplash Personal Life

Edward Said was born as one of the two children of businessman Wadir Said and Hilda in Palestine. His father had served in the U.S. Army due to which his family was granted U.S. citizenship. His parents practiced Christianity, but he grew up to be agnostic. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He attended the Anglican St. George’s School in Jerusalem in 1947 after which he went to the Egyptian branch of Victoria College. However, he was expelled from there in 1951 due to his misbehavior in school. He was then sent to study at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, where he excelled academically. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He enrolled at the Princeton University and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957 and Master of Arts in 1960. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

For his doctorate, he went to Harvard University and received his Doctor of Philosophy in English Literature in 1964. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He accepted a teaching position in the Columbia University and joined the faculty of the English department and the department of Comparative Literature in 1963. He worked at the University lifelong. Unsplash Career

His doctoral dissertation was on the criticism of the works of the novelist Joseph Conrad which he expanded into a full length book, ‘Joseph Conrad and the Fiction of Autobiography’, published in 1966. Unsplash Career

He served as Visiting Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard College in 1974, and became a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science at Stanford University for the term 1975-76. Unsplash Career

He had a deep interest in politics and represented the Palestinian National Council (PNC) as an independent member from 1977 to 1991. Unsplash Career

In 1978, he published his seminal work, ‘Orientalism’ in which he discussed how the cultural prejudices and false assumptions of the Western World distort the understanding of the cultural elements of the Orient. The book became very popular, though it also generated much controversy. Unsplash Career

The work for which he is best known is the 1978 book ‘Orientalism’. The basic premise of the book was that the Western knowledge about the East is not based upon facts or reality but on certain preconceived ideas and notions. Unsplash Major Works

He is famous for being an outspoken advocate of the rights of Palestinians in the U.S. He took a deep interest in the well being of Palestinians even though he had moved out of there when young, and campaigned for their independence. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	November 1, 1935
Died on	September 25, 2003
Nationality	American
Famous	Professor, Atheists, Atheists/Agnostics, Harvard University, Princeton University, Writers, Miscellaneous
Universities	Harvard University,Princeton University
Notable Alumnis	Harvard University Princeton University
Birth Place	Mandatory Palestine
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Scorpio
Born in	Mandatory Palestine
Famous as	Professor
Died at Age	67

Edward Said

American

Nov 1, 1935

Biography

Personal Details

Mandatory Palestine