Bernard lewis vs edward said biography

Yet by claiming to be a “Jewish” intellectual, Said was doing more than placing himself in the company of giants like Franz Kafka or Theodor Adorno. What he recognized, and what Places of Mind sometimes misses, was the tragedy of his career: how by his life’s end, the causes for which he fought were ultimately defeated.

The Palestinian liberation movement, whose cause animated so much of Said’s writing, was headed toward ruin (a reality that he was among the very few to realize).

Bernard lewis vs edward said biography book

And the humanities, whose flourishing made his career possible, were entering a downward spiral from which they show no sign of recovery. Reflecting on Said’s life, in short, is not only a chance to celebrate groundbreaking achievements.

It is also an invitation to recognize, soberly, some of our era’s heartbreaking misfortunes.  

Colonialism is a brutal business, and this was certainly true of British rule in the Middle East. Whenever locals protested the empire’s authority, as Palestinians di