Edward Said: From academic to global icon

This book is not a conventional biography; it is an intellectual history that explores the diverse influences that shaped Said's thinking

Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said

Author: Timothy Brennan

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 2021

Pages: 437

Price: Rs 1099

In an intellectual scenario dominated by western thinkers, Edward Said (1935-2003) stands out as a remarkable exception — of Palestinian Arab origin, he towered as a literary critic and political philosopher in the US’ most important Ivy League institutions. He was also a political activist and a powerful voice in support of the Palestinian struggle, at a time when US political, academic and media circles were robustly pro-Israel and actively hostile to Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians.

He combined these two aspects of his persona in