Yumna Kassab in the Sydney Review of Books:
I remember where I was when Edward Said died.
I was in a neuropsychology tutorial and upon seeing my face, a classmate asked me what was wrong.
I tried to explain to her who Said was and what he meant. I could not articulate my ideas properly and she ended up telling me that people in countries such as ours had no business commenting on events in the Middle East.
I thought of Said throwing a rock from the south of Lebanon, an act he said was symbolic, and how he was denounced anyway.
In a massive clear out, I donated so many of his books, but I returned to him in July this year. I refer to The Edward Said Reader and now I pore over the interview at the back.
It is from 1999 and I wonder what questions I would ask him if he were alive today. Are the questions any different and would his answers differ from what he’s said before?
More here.