George Steiner, the celebrated literary critic, died Feb. 3 at his home in Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. He was 90. Steiner was born in Paris to Austrian parents who had emigrated to escape anti-Semitism. The family moved to New York City in 1940, refugees from the Holocaust.

While still in his 20s, Steiner filled the seat previously held by Edmund Wilson at The New Yorker, serving as senior book reviewer and contributing more than 200 reviews over 30 years. He also lectured at the University of Vienna, New York University, and Harvard.

“I can only explain what I perceive as the Jew’s mission: To be a guest of humanity,” Steiner said. “What must a guest do? He must live among people, wherever they may be. And a good guest, a worthy guest, leaves the place where he has been staying a bit cleaner, a bit more beautiful, a bit more interesting than he found it.”