2008 EDWARD SAID MEMORIAL LECTURE DELIVERED BY DR SARA ROY ELEVENTH OF OCTOBER 2008 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE Copyright, The University of Adelaide 2 Copyright © The University of Adelaide 2008 Unless expressly stated otherwise, the University of Adelaide claims copyright ownership of all material on this document. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form (attaching a copy of this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use. The University of Adelaide reserves the right to revoke such permission at any time. Apart from this permission and uses permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 , all other rights are reserved. Requests for further authorisations, including authorisations to use material on this document for commercial purposes, should be directed to
[email protected] . Published by: The University of Adelaide Editor: Dr Bassam Dally Date: October 2008 For further information about the lecture please contact: Associate Professor Bassam Dally Secretary, Steering Committee Edward Said Memorial Lecture The University of Adelaide SA, 5005, Australia Email:
[email protected] Tel: +61-8-8303 5397 Fax: +61-8-8303 4367 3 THE IMPOSSIBLE UNION OF ARAB AND JEW: REFLECTIONS ON DISSENT, REMEMBRANCE AND REDEMPTION 1 SARA ROY After Edward’s death Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian poet who recently passed away, wrote a poem bidding Edward farewell. I would like to read a passage from that poem: He also said: If I die before you, my will is the impossible. I asked: Is the impossible far off? He said: A generation away. I asked: And if I die before you? He said: I shall pay my condolences to Mount Galiliee, and write, “The aesthetic is to reach poise.” And now, don’t forgot: If I die before you, my will is the impossible.