Linguist, activist, and social critic Noam Chomsky, aged 95, is currently hospitalized in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as he continues to recover from a massive stroke he suffered in June 2023. His wife, Valeria Chomsky, confirmed his hospitalization, stating that he was transported to Brazil on an ambulance jet once he was deemed fit for travel from the United States. The couple has maintained a residence in Brazil since 2015.
According to reports in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, Noam Chomsky is experiencing difficulty speaking and has been affected on the right side of his body. He receives daily visits from a neurologist, speech therapist, and lung specialist to aid in his recovery.
Despite his health challenges, Chomsky remains engaged with current events, particularly expressing lament and anger at the ongoing conflict in Gaza by raising his left arm in response to news coverage. Known globally as a symbol of protest and independence, Chomsky has been a vocal critic of U.S. policies in various regions and the perceived compliance of the media. His influential writings and essays have garnered widespread readership and discussion.
A former faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chomsky joined the University of Arizona in Tucson in 2017 as the Laureate Professor of Linguistics, holding the Agnese Helms Haury Chair. He revolutionized the field of linguistics with his seminal work 'Syntactic Structures' in 1957, positing that humans possess an innate capacity for language that enables them to construct and comprehend novel sentences.
Valeria Chomsky mentioned a potential relocation to an apartment near the beach in Rio de Janeiro, citing research suggesting that sunny environments can benefit stroke patients. As Noam Chomsky continues his recovery in Brazil, his legacy as a pioneering thinker and activist endures.
