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REFLECTIONS ON EXILE

Name: REFLECTIONS ON EXILE
Author: Edward W. Said
ISBN: 0674009975

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Edward W. Said ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

A fascinating exploration of post-colonialism as seen through the eyes of its progenitor.

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A compilation of 35 years’ worth of critical essays from one of the boldest and most articulate cultural theorists alive today.

For those who know Said (The End of the Peace Process, p.365, etc.) foremost as an outspoken and controversial advocate of Palestine, the breadth of intellectual curiosity and erudition manifest in these collected works will come as a pleasant surprise. Not until halfway through the anthology is there any mention of Palestine, and even in those essays that deal with his homeland, the author uses his unparalleled knowledge of the subject to illustrate larger points about anthropology, human rights, or nationalism. Writing on the works and lives of such cultural, literary, and political icons as Conrad, Nietzche, Vico, Foucault, Hemingway, Blackmur, Mahfouz, Melville, Schumann, Chopin, Orwell, Lipmman, and Merleau-Ponty, Said demonstrates that he is indeed a modern teacher and critic of the highest order. For readers who are more familiar with his works, he has included several essays that directly respond to the specific arguments of his critics (including “Orientalism Reconsidered,” “Traveling Theory Reconsidered,” and “Representing the Colonized,” among others). Said also offers an elegant demonstration of the depth and complexity of post-colonial studies, and he points out in his introduction that much of the material that defines this field (which he did much to create) “stands in contrast to politics.” And yet, even the least political of his essays further his goal: to deprive us of our complacency by reminding us again and again that all knowledge is mediated by power, and no one is immune to its balance.

A fascinating exploration of post-colonialism as seen through the eyes of its progenitor.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0674009975

Page Count: 576

Publisher: Harvard Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
FROM OSLO TO IRAQ AND THE ROAD MAP
by Edward W. Said

- BOOK REVIEW
THE END OF THE PEACE PROCESS
by Edward W. Said

- BOOK REVIEW
OUT OF PLACE
by Edward W. Said

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.