Both Waguih Ghali and Edward Said spent much of their lives unable to return to their countries of birth due to religio-political reasons. Even though the former was Egyptian and the latter was Palestinian, their lives, as international as they were, had a lot in common. Ultimately, however, there was one fundamental difference between them: Ghali let his creativity consume him, whereas Said allowed academia to nurture his. In the end, they both fell victims to their heredities, respectively. The question remains on whether a fine balance between both approaches is possible and if so how could it be defined?!
Waguih Gahli (192?-1969)
Edward Said (1935-2003)
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