Vénus Khoury-Ghata
(b. 1937)

The Lebanese contemporary writer Vénus Khoury-Ghata was born and raised in Beirut while the country was still under French rule. During the summers, Khoury-Ghata left the capital to live in her mother's native village. It was there she was first introduced to the poetry of prominent writer Kahlil Gibran, who also resided there. Fascinated by the writer's life and his works, Khoury-Ghata began to write her own poetry in French.

Her exposure to both Arabic and French culture has affected her poetry and the course of her career. Back in Beirut, a fellow poet and neighbor enjoyed her work so much that he took it to a local publisher, who produced the first volume of her poems. A copy of this book caught the eye of a traveling French scholar who then brought it to the attention of a larger publishing company.

Noted for her beauty as well as her poetry, Khoury-Ghata was named Miss Beirut in 1959. She later relocated to Paris along with her husband, a French scientist. In France, she established her fame by winning numerous literary awards, including the Prix Apollinaire. Khoury-Ghata has also published over a dozen novels, adding layers of accomplishment to this already gifted poet.

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