Loading ...5 Things you probably didn't know about Edward Said
By: Yaseen Rashed/ Arab America Contributing Writer
Edward Said was a professor at Columbia and was a notable author. Being Palestinian and growing up in both the United States and Egypt, his work navigates around the central theme of exile and lacking a national identity. He’s lead many discussions around the topic of the nationhood of Palestine and the idea of independence. Said also played a pivotal role in Arab American literature as he illuminated aspects of the unique mesh of the two cultures. He is undoubtedly one of the most prominent and influential Arab Americans in the sphere. Here are 5 interesting facts about him.
He Grew Up in Egypt
Edward Said’s father had taken his family away from Palestine and relocated them to Ciro, Egypt following the 1947 partition of Palestine into a Jewish and non-Jewish state. Because of this Said grew up with a strong Egyptian culture. It was also during this time that Egypt still ministered through a monarchy that heavily impacted the political climate Said was a part of. Said attended an elite school in Ciro where he learned to speak, read and write in English. He then moved from Ciro to Massachusets in 1951 to attend school here in the US. This provided Said with the necessary experience to understand what “orientalism” and he went on to create a whole career out of it.
Said Excelled in his studies
Said is one of the most notable intellectuals of the Arab world. His writings have been translated in over 25 languages and his influence has greatly impacted the way the western world views Arabs. However, this didn’t all come from nothing. Said was an incredible student. When he lived in Egypt, he went to one of the most prestigious schools Ciro had to offer, it was then that Said developed a love for literature. He later moved to Massachusetts to attend The Northfield Mount Hermon School, an exclusive boarding school that heavily prepped its students for a college education. He later went on to attend Princeton University for his undergraduate degree graduating in 1957 and later on attended Harvard for his masters and Ph.D. program in 1964. Said majored in English literature as he was always fascinated by books and what they can reveal about a society.
Said was an incredible teacher
After Said finished his doctoral program at Harvard, he went on to indulge in academia. He joined the prestigious Colombia University in New York City as a lecturer in 1963. Said learned quickly what it meant to be a good teacher as he was admired by all his students. In 1967 he was promoted to assistant professor of English and comparative literature where he enjoyed more time teaching his students. It was also during this time that Said wrote his first book, Joseph Conrad and the Fiction of Autobiography. He was promoted to a full-time professor in 1969 and went on to receive plenty of endowed chairs later on in his career
He was an Advocate for Palestinian statehood
Said was one of the earliest Arab Americans to advocate for Palestinian statehood. He was elected to the Palestine National Council (the Palestinian legislature in exile) in 1977, and, though he supported a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he became highly critical of the Oslo peace process between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in the early 1990s. He went on to say that it didn’t do enough justice to ensure protection for the Palestinian people. Said also wrote numerous articles concerning the issue and specifically criticizing the U.S. involvement in worsening the crisis.
He was a great Family Man
Aside from his career accomplishments, Said was a great husband and a loving father. Said Married Mariam Cortas, a Lebanese attending Columbia University at the time, in 1970. He later went on to have two kids one boy and one girl. However hectic Saids schedule was, he always made sure to leave room for his family and the people he loved. His family was also his support circle, especially after releasing such contraversial book for his time, his family always came by his side to comfort him. His wife, Mariam, went on to establish the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with her husband in 1999 and it later turned out to be an incredible success.
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