Etel Adnan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Etel Adnan
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Adnan in 2008
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| Born | 24 February 1925 Beirut, Greater Lebanon, French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon |
| Died | 14 November 2021 (aged 96) Paris, France |
| Nationality | Lebanese, American |
| Alma mater | University of Paris Harvard University |
| Genre | Poetry, essays, visual arts |
| Literary movement | Hurufiyya movement |
| Partner | Simone Fattal |
Etel Adnan (Arabic: إيتيل عدنان; 24 February 1925 – 14 November 2021) was a talented writer and artist. She was from both Lebanon and the United States. Many people considered her one of the most important Arab American writers of her time.
Besides her writing, Etel Adnan also created amazing visual art. She made oil paintings, films, and woven tapestries. Her artworks have been shown in galleries all around the world.
Contents
Etel Adnan's Life Story
Etel Adnan was born in 1925 in Beirut, which is the capital city of Lebanon. Her mother, Rose Lacorte, was Greek Orthodox from Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey). Her father, Assaf Kadri, was a Sunni Muslim-Turkish officer. He was born in Damascus, which is in Syria.
Her father came from a rich family. He was a high-ranking officer and had even been classmates with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Her parents met during World War I in Smyrna. After the war, they moved to Beirut.
Etel grew up speaking Greek and Turkish at home. However, she went to French schools. Because of this, her first writings were in French. Later, she learned English and wrote most of her books in that language.
Education and Teaching Career
When she was 24, Etel moved to Paris, France. There, she studied philosophy at the University of Paris. She then traveled to the United States to continue her studies. She attended the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University.
From 1958 to 1972, she taught philosophy of art. This was at the Dominican University of California. She also gave lectures at many other universities across the United States.
Return to Lebanon and Journalism
Later, Etel Adnan returned to Lebanon. She worked as a journalist for a French newspaper called Al Safa in Beirut. She helped create the newspaper's cultural section. Sometimes, she even drew cartoons and illustrations for it. She was known for her front-page articles. In these, she shared her thoughts on important political topics of the day.
Etel Adnan lived in Paris and Sausalito, California. She passed away in Paris on November 14, 2021, at 96 years old.
Etel Adnan's Visual Art
Etel Adnan was also a talented painter. Her early abstract paintings were made using a palette knife. She would apply thick oil paint directly onto the canvas. Often, a bright red square was the main focus of her paintings. She loved the "immediate beauty of color."
In 2012, her colorful abstract paintings were shown. This was at a big art event called documenta 13 in Germany.
Art and Arabic Calligraphy
In the 1960s, Etel began to add Arabic writing to her art. She included it in her paintings and in special "Artist's Books." She would spend hours copying Arabic words. She did this even without trying to understand their meaning.
Her art was inspired by the early Hurufiyya movement. This was an art movement where artists used Arabic letters as part of their artwork. They wanted to create modern art that still honored traditional culture.
Etel also painted landscapes on foldable screens. These screens were inspired by Japanese leporellos. They could be opened up like free-standing drawings.
Exhibitions and Recognition
In 2014, Etel Adnan's paintings and tapestries were shown. This was at the Whitney Biennial in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
A large show of her work was held at the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar. It was called "Etel Adnan In All Her Dimensions." This show included her early works, her writings, and her woven carpets.
In 2017, her art was part of a group exhibition at MoMA. This show focused on women artists and abstract art after World War II.
In 2018, the MASS MoCA held a show of her work. It was called "A yellow sun A green sun a yellow sun A red sun a blue sun." This exhibition explored how reading poetry is different from looking at a painting.
Her work was also featured in a 2023 exhibition. This was at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.
Awards and Special Recognition
Etel Adnan received many awards for her writing and art:
- 1977: She won the France-Pays Arabes award for her novel Sitt Marie Rose.
- 2010: She received the Arab American Book Awards for her story collection Master of the Eclipse.
- 2013: Her poetry book Sea and Fog won the California Book Award for Poetry.
- 2013: She was given the Lambda Literary Award.
- 2014: The French Government honored her. She was named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. This means "Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters."
- 2020: Her poetry collection Time won the Griffin Poetry Prize. This book was translated from French by Sarah Riggs.
She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radius of Arab-American Writers (RAWI).
Etel Adnan's Writings
Etel Adnan wrote many books of poetry, essays, and novels. She wrote in English, Arabic, and French.
Books in English
- Shifting the silence, 2020
- Time, 2020
- Surge, 2018
- Night, 2016
- Life is a Weaving, 2016
- Premonition, 2014
- To look at the sea is to become what one is: An Etel Adnan Reader, 2014
- Sea and Fog, 2012
- Master of the Eclipse, 2009
- Seasons, 2008
- In the Heart of the Heart of Another Country, 2005
- In/somnia, 2002
- There: In the Light and the Darkness of the Self and of the Other, 1997
- To Write in a Foreign Language, 1996
- Of Cities and Women, Letters to Fawwaz, 1993
- Paris, When It's Naked, 1993
- The Spring Flowers Own and the Manifestations of the Voyage, 1990
- The Arab Apocalypse, 1989
- Journey to Mount Tamalpais: An Essay, 1985
- The Indian Never Had a Horse and Other Poems, 1985
- From A to Z Poetry, 1982
- Sitt Marie Rose: A Novel, 1978
- Moon Shots, 1967
Books in Arabic
- al-Sitt Mari Ruz: riwayah. (Sitt Marie Rose.), 2000.
- n mudun wa-nisa: rasail il Fawwaz. (Of Cities and Women.), 1998.
- Kitab al-bahr; kitab al-layal; kitab al-mawt; kitab al-nihayah, 1994.
- al-Sitt Marie Ruz. 1979.
Books in French
- Voyage, guerre, exil, 2020
- Un printemps inattendu (entretiens), 2020
- Grandir et devenir poète au Liban, 2019
- Tolérance, 2018
- Nuit, 2017
- La vie est un tissage, 2016
- Mer et brouillard, 2017
- A propos de la fin de l'Empire Ottoman, 2015
- Le Prix que nous ne voulons pas payer pour l'amour, 2015
- Prémonition, 2015
- Là-bas, 2013
- Paris mis a nu. 2011.
- Ce ciel qui n'est pas. 1997.
- Rachid Korachi: Ecriture passion, 1988.
- L'apocalypse arabe. 1980.
- Sitt Marie Rose. 1978.
- Jbu: Suivi de l'Express Beyrouth enfer. 1973.
