The concept and understanding of the East, the construction of its image in Western culture, the Eurocentric style of domination over the rest of the world and the inevitably associated political and ideological problems, military conflicts, cultural collisions - this is what together constituted the theme that was declared and attracted universal attention attention on a grand scale developed by Said in his first book, “Orientalism.”

This book is a continuation and development of the same topic, which, according to the author, is fundamental, first of all, for Western consciousness itself. Now Said’s social research takes the form of textual literary analysis, the object of which is “imperial” European prose, poetry and opera.

The idea and practice of empire, the relationship between the metropolis and the colony. West and East, Self and Other are considered here in the broadest cultural sense.