Adnan, Etel, 1925-2021

Etel Adnan (Arabic: إيتيل عدنان; 24 February 1925 – 14 November 2021) was a Lebanese-American poet, essayist, and visual artist. In 2003, Adnan was named "arguably the most celebrated and accomplished Arab American author writing today" by the academic journal MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States.[1]

Besides her literary output, Adnan made visual works in a variety of media, such as oil paintings, films and tapestries, which have been exhibited at galleries across the world. Ethel N. Adnan was born in 1925 in Beirut, Lebanon. At 24, Adnan traveled to Paris where she received a degree in philosophy from the University of Paris.[7] She then traveled to the United States where she continued graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley and at Harvard University.[7] From 1958 to 1972, she taught philosophy of art at the Dominican University of California in San Rafael.[10][7] She also lectured at many universities throughout the United States.[citation needed]

Adnan returned from the US to Lebanon and worked as a journalist and cultural editor for Al Safa newspaper, a French-language newspaper in Beirut. In addition, she also helped build the cultural section of the newspaper, occasionally contributing cartoons and illustrations. Her tenure at Al Safa was most notable for her front-page editorials, commenting on the important political issues of the day.[11]

In her later years, Adnan began to openly identify as lesbian.[12]

Adnan lived in Paris and Sausalito, California.[13] She died in Paris on 14 November 2021, at the age of 96.[14][15]

A documentary about Adnan's life by American filmmaker Marie Valentine Regan in collaboration with the artist, was started in 2023 about "the last five years of her life".[16]