Edward Alexander (1936 – August 22, 2020)[1] was an American essayist and professor emeritus of English at the University of Washington.[2] He focused his research on literary figures such as John Stuart Mill, Matthew Arnold, John Morley, John Ruskin, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Lionel Trilling, Irving Howe, and Robert B. Heilman; and authored books about Jewish history, Zionism, and antisemitism.[3]
Edward Alexander | |
---|---|
Born | 1936 |
Died | August 22, 2020 | (aged 83–84)
Awards | Guggenheim Fellowship (1974) |
Academic background | |
Education | Columbia University (BA) University of Minnesota (PhD) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Jewish Studies |
Institutions | University of Washington |
Edward Alexander was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the Brownsville section where he attended a Hebrew school located on 500 Herzl Street. As a youth, he idolized Jackie Robinson and David Ben-Gurion.[4]
Alexander earned an A.B. from Columbia College in 1957. He then attended the University of Minnesota, where he received an A.M. in 1959, and a Ph.D. in 1963.[3]
Alexander was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974 in the field of "Literary Criticism".[5]
Alexander taught English at the University of Washington from 1960 to 2004 and was the first chairman of UW's Jewish Studies Program. He was a visiting professor at Tufts, Hebrew University, Tel-Aviv University, and Memphis State University.[4]
Alexander was a member the Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers, the National Association of Scholars, and the Washington Association of Scholars.[3]
Alexander had several cancer surgeries in 2009–2010.[2]
In The Jewish Idea and Its Enemies (1988), Alexander examined the tension between The Enlightenment ideas of liberalism, rationalism, relativism, and traditional Jewish ideas.[6]
In Jews against Themselves (2015), Alexander explored the contributions apostate Jews made to "the politics and ideology of anti-Semitism."[6][7]
originally published in London by Routledge & K. Paul (1965)
Papers prepared for a conference sponsored by Writers & Artists for Peace in the Middle East
critical edition