This collection brings together Edward Said"s essays on literary and cultural topics from over three decades. As the title essay shows, Said"s own exile and the fate of the Palestinians have given form to the questions he has pursued. These essays give an insight into the formation of the critic and the development of an intellectual vocation. They cover a diverse range of topics, from the heroics of Tarzan to the machismo of Ernest Hemingway. Said offers different angles on writers and artists such as George Orwell, Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad, and Raymond Williams. Many of the central debates in the humanities over the last 30 years are addressed.