Edward Said Is Dead at 67; Model for Omnium Character

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Obituaries Edward Said Is Dead at 67; Model for Omnium Character Edward Said, the Palestinian-born Columbia University professor who was the likely model for a character in the Off-Broadway play Omnium Gatherum, died Sept. 25 in New York City. He was 67, and had suffered from leukemia for years, Associated Press reported.

By Robert Simonson

September 25, 2003

Theresa Rebeck and Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros' play Omnium Gatherum depicts a post-9/11, contentious dinner party peopled by a variety of vaguely familiar thinkers and pundits. Among them are Khalid, an Arab professor wearing a suit and bow tie. Of all the egomaniacs at the table, his character is the most composed and compassionate, fervently and sanely arguing for peace and understanding. The character is played by Edward A. Hajj. Mr. Said was born in Jerusalem in 1935, when the region was controlled by the British. He moved to the U.S. in 1957, where he received degrees at Princeton and Harvard. He was perhaps American academia's most fervent and best known advocate of the Palestinian cause in the Middle East.