Edward W. Said, an important Columbia University scholar and an eloquent advocate of the Palestinian cause, died yesterday.

His friend, Ahdaf Soueif, mourns his loss in the Guardian as does Ilan Pappe, an Israeli academic who writes in the Electronic Intifada. Typically, the Torygraph cant help but publish a poisonous rant by way of an obituary.

Much, much, better to read is the NYTimes Obituary. This requires a subscription but that’s free and well worth it, the article is a full and balanced summation of Said’s life and impact not only on Arab-Israeli relations but also on “the cultural theory of post-colonialism”.

But you can judge the man for yourselves through his own writings, maintained at the The Edward Said Archive.