Edward Said

Palestinian-American professor (1935–2003)

Edward Said (1935–2003) was an American writer, literary critic and journalist. Said was born in Jerusalem on 1 November 1935. He died in New York City on 25 September 2003, at the age of 68.

Said is best known for Orientalism. He was attached to Columbia University.

The honours on record include Guggenheim Fellowship (1972), Princess of Asturias Award for Concord (2002), American Book Awards (1996), Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards (2000) and International Nonino Prize (1998). Said was elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Letters and Arab Academy of Damascus. He was educated at Harvard University, Princeton University and Northfield Mount Hermon School.

Said married Mariam C. He and Maire Jaanus. He had two recorded children, Wadih Edward Said and Najla Said. The recorded cause of death is leukemia.

Reference coverage runs to 90 language editions, the clearest available signal of how widely Edward Said is read.

Compare with the greats

Adam Smith vs Albert EinsteinBaruch Spinoza vs Edgar Allan PoeJohn Von Neumann vs Werner HeisenbergLouis Pasteur vs Plato
See the IQ Rankings →All comparisons →

Child prodigies

Emily BearEmily BearPlayed the White House at six, won a Grammy at twenty, scored a…Summer McintoshSummer McintoshOlympic finalist at 14, world-record holder and triple Olympic…Laurent SimonsLaurent SimonsGraduated University at 11 — Belgian Prodigy with Electrical…Boris BeckerBoris BeckerWon Wimbledon at 17, the youngest men's Grand Slam champion ever
Child prodigies →

Play & come back tomorrow

Daily Genius Challenge · Guess the genius
19th-century mathematician who wrote the first algorithm for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.
Tap your answer ↓
Which Genius Are You? Free IQ Test