''An intimate portrait ... Critical, generous and heartfelt'' Ahdaf Soueif, Guardian''An intriguing account of an alluring but evasive character- Daily TelegraphDrawing on extensive archival sources and hundreds of interviews, Timothy Brennan-s Places of Mind is the first comprehensive biography of Said, one of the most controversial and celebrated intellectuals of the 20th century. In Brennan-s masterful work, Said, the pioneer of post-colonial studies, a tireless champion for his native Palestine, and an erudite literary critic, emerges as a self-doubting, tender, and eloquent advocate of literature-s dramatic effects on politics and civic life. Places of Mind charts the intertwined routes of Said-s intellectual development, revealing him as a study in opposites: a cajoler and strategist, a New York intellectual with a foot in Beirut, an orchestra impresario in Weimar and Ramallah, a raconteur on national television, a Palestinian negotiator
