Edward Said, Orientalism

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No other book of Edward Saïd’s has enjoyed the attention of

Orientalism

. Since its publication in 1978, it has been translated into over twenty-four languages. It has been the subject of numerous conferences and the occasion of impassioned debates. Perhaps more than any work of late 20th century cultural criticism, it has transformed the study of literature and culture. Yet for all of its success,

Orientalism

initially had difficulty finding a major publisher. Some publishing houses did not consider the book ground-breaking; still others were unwilling to back a book whose politics were at odds with the mainstream’s view of Palestinians, Arabs, and Israel. Of the few publishers that expressed an early interest in it, the University of California Press offered Saïd a paltry $200…

3759 words

Citation: Rubin, Andrew N.. "Orientalism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 April 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14559, accessed 19 March 2024.]

14559 Orientalism 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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