On introducing Edward Said: Isabella Hammad and Hisham Matar
Podcast: The PalFest PodcastPublished On: Sun May 31 2026
Description: Edward Said needs no introductions, but what happens when writers are asked to newly introduce the works that helped define his legacy? In this episode Isabella Hammad, who writes the introduction to a new edition of Said’s “Representations of the Intellectual,” and Hisham Matar, who does the same for his memoir “Out of Place”, discuss Said’s work and their own takes on many of the questions he thought about: the category of “the intellectual,” the particular modes of thinking and being that writing fiction demands, self-making in exile, and late style. Isabella Hammad is the award-winning author of Enter Ghost, The Parisian, and Recognizing the Stranger. Hisham Matar is the author of multiple novels including In the Country of Men, Anatomy of a Disappearance, My Friends, and the Pulitzer prize winning memoir, The Return. Edward Said was a professor of literature at Columbia University as well as a public writer and political advocate for Palestinian liberation. He is the author of multiple works on culture and empire including Orientalism, Covering Islam, The Question of Palestine, and Culture and Imperialism. He is considered a founding figure of post-colonial studies. This episode was recorded in New York at Young Atlas, Harlem, on April 3rd, 2026 --- Check out the latest PalFest digital publication The Key here Subscribe to the PalFest Bookshelf here Find us on our website or our socials: Insta: @palfest Bluesky: @palfest.bsky.social YouTube: @Palfest
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