Arab American Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (2010) Winner
Etel Adnan
エテル・アドナン
Etel Adnan
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1925-02-24 （Beirut, Greater Lebanon (French Mandate)）
- Died
- 2021-11-14 （Paris, France） age 96
- Nationality
- Lebanese, American
- Languages
- French, English, Arabic, Greek, Turkish
- Religion
- Mixed (mother: Greek Orthodox; father: Sunni Muslim)
- Residence History
- Beirut (birthplace) → Paris (long-term residence) → Sausalito, California (residence) → San Rafael (taught at Dominican University)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, essayist, novelist, painter, visual artist, professor, journalist
- Active Years
- 1949-2021
- Affiliations
- Dominican University of California - Professor of Philosophy of Art, Al Safa (French-language newspaper) - Cultural editor/journalist
- Influenced By
- Paul Klee, Jawad Salim, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Shakir Hassan al Said
- Influenced
- Jassem Hindi (influence on dance performance)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Paris | Faculty of Philosophy | Philosophy | 学士（哲学） | 1949頃 | France |
| University of California, Berkeley | — | Graduate studies | — | 1950年代（在籍・研究） | United States |
| Harvard University | — | Graduate studies | — | 1950年代（在籍・研究） | United States |
University of Paris
Faculty of Philosophy
/ Philosophy
Degree:
学士（哲学）
Period:
1949頃
Year of Graduation:
1949
Country:
France
Studied philosophy in early adulthood.
University of California, Berkeley
Graduate studies
Period:
1950年代（在籍・研究）
Country:
United States
Continued graduate studies.
Harvard University
Graduate studies
Period:
1950年代（在籍・研究）
Country:
United States
Further graduate work and lectures.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | France-Pays Arabes award | Sitt Marie Rose | — | France-Pays Arabes | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Arab American Book Award | Master of the Eclipse | — | Arab American Book Awards (organizers) | 受賞 |
| 2013 | California Book Award (Poetry) | Sea and Fog | 詩 | Commonwealth Club of California | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Lambda Literary Award | Poetry collection (e.g., Sea and Fog) | — | Lambda Literary Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres | — | — | French Ministry of Culture | 叙勲 |
| 2020 | Griffin Poetry Prize | Time (English translation by Sarah Riggs) | — | Griffin Poetry Prize | 受賞 |
France-Pays Arabes award
1977
Work:
Sitt Marie Rose
Organization:
France-Pays Arabes
Result:
受賞
Arab American Book Award
2010
Work:
Master of the Eclipse
Organization:
Arab American Book Awards (organizers)
Result:
受賞
California Book Award (Poetry)
2013
Work:
Sea and Fog
Category:
詩
Organization:
Commonwealth Club of California
Result:
受賞
Lambda Literary Award
2013
Work:
Poetry collection (e.g., Sea and Fog)
Organization:
Lambda Literary Foundation
Result:
受賞
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
2014
Organization:
French Ministry of Culture
Result:
叙勲
Griffin Poetry Prize
2020
Work:
Time (English translation by Sarah Riggs)
Organization:
Griffin Poetry Prize
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 20 (2010) Winner
Best Translated Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
Sitt Marie Rose
1978 novelA novel addressing the Lebanese civil war, gender and politics; examines violence in society amid complex sectarian tensions.
warexilegenderpolitics
Translations
- Available in Arabic and other translations
Sea and Fog
2012 poetryA collection of poems meditating on sea, memory and time, where visual and verbal elements intersect.
naturetimememorycolour
Time
2020 poetryA selection of poems originally in French, translated into English; concise meditations on time and being.
timeexistenceloss
Translations
- English translation by Sarah Riggs
Master of the Eclipse
2009 short storiesA collection of short stories and prose pieces that move between poetic diction and narrative.
memorypersonal historylandscape
Bibliography
- Moon Shots (1967)
- Sitt Marie Rose (1978)
- Journey to Mount Tamalpais: An Essay (1985)
- The Arab Apocalypse (1989)
- Sea and Fog (2012)
- Time (2020)
- Many other works in English, French and Arabic
Adaptations
- Documentary film 'Etel Adnan: Being and Time' (Marie Valentine Regan, completed 2025)
Translations of Works
- Time translated into English by Sarah Riggs (won Griffin Poetry Prize, 2020)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- concise, meditative poetic stylelanguage closely linked with visual artcrosses multiple languages in prose and poetry
- Recurring Motifs
- seacolourtime and memorylandscape and movementwar and exile
Legacy
Etel Adnan was an internationally acclaimed writer and visual artist bridging poetry, essays and visual art. A key figure in Lebanese and Arab diaspora literature and contemporary art, she worked across languages and media and was celebrated through numerous exhibitions and retrospectives.
Museums
- Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art Doha, Qatar Opened in 2010
- Whitney Museum of American Art New York, United States Opened in 1930
- Centre Pompidou (holds works) Paris, France Opened in 1977
- Van Gogh Museum (exhibition participant) Amsterdam, Netherlands Opened in 1973
Archives
- Centre Pompidou (archives/collections)
- Sursock Museum (Beirut)
- Mathaf (Doha)
In Popular Culture
- Google Doodle (15 April 2024)
- Influenced performances such as the dance piece 'Laundry of Legends II'
Quotes
-
"Klee belongs to the lineage of geniuses for whom a single designation... is too narrow. Every painting by Klee is like an act of discovery."
Source: Interview / HENI Talks (on Paul Klee) (2017)
Trivia
- Later in life she publicly identified as lesbian.
- Her collection Time won the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2020.
- The Etel Adnan Poetry Prize was established in 2015 by the University of Arkansas Press.
- She wrote in multiple languages (French, English, Arabic, etc.).