Shifting the Silence
Back of the Book
Shifting the Silence does just that, breaks the social taboo around writing and speaking about our own deaths. In short unrelenting paragraphs, Adnan enumerates her personal struggle to conceptualize the breadth of her own life at 95, the process of aging, and the knowledge of her own inevitable death. The personal is continuously projected outwards and mirrored back through ruminations on climate catastrophe, California wildfires, the on-going war in Syria, planned missions to Mars, and the view of the sea from Adnan's window in Brittany in a poignant, often painful, interplay between the interior and the cosmic.
We Love It Because
Adnan’s willingness to illuminate certain aspects of the prospect of her own passing—illuminating them in a way that is defiantly free of poetry is at times jarring. A memento mori that lacks the mediation of a different from, Shifting the Silence is quietly dignified and profoundly confrontational—not taking stock of a life well-lived but engaging thoroughly with the actual act of passing.
Memorable Passage
Silence is the creation of space, a space that memory needs to use . . . an incubator. We're dealing here with dimensions, stretching our inner muscles, pushing aside any interference. We're dealing with numbers, but not counting. Silence demands the nature of night, even in full day, it demands shadows.
About the Author
Etel Adnan, born in 1925 in Beirut, Lebanon, was a distinguished poet, essayist, and visual artist whose multidisciplinary contributions earned her international recognition. Adnan's work was deeply influenced by her diverse cultural background, and she wrote in multiple languages, including Arabic, French, and English. Her celebrated novel Sitt Marie Rose confronted the complexities of the Lebanese Civil War, while her poetry collection The Arab Apocalypse reflected on the broader implications of conflict and existence. In addition to her literary accomplishments, Adnan was a respected visual artist, with her vibrant paintings and tapestries exhibited worldwide. Known for her ability to blend the personal and political, Adnan's work stood as a testament to the power of art to engage with pressing global issues. Etel Adnan is worth remembering for her profound impact on literature and the arts, her commitment to transcending cultural boundaries, and her unique ability to distill complex emotions and geopolitical realities into poignant and evocative works of art. She passed away in November 2021.
Recommended By