Jeanne Arcache (, 1902–1961) is a pioneer Lebanese
Francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
poet, novelist, and journalist, who wrote for French-language periodicals in Egypt.
Biography
Arcache was born in 1902 in Alexandria to a Lebanese father and a French mother. She attended the ''Lycée Française'' in her native city and pursued an education in literature and music. Arcache wrote for several journals in Egypt, most notably the weekly ''Image'', ''La Semaine Egyptienne'', and the monthly ''La Revue du Caire''. She was a member of ''
La société des auteurs libanais de langue française'' (The Society of French-speaking Lebanese Authors) which included leading authors such as
Michel Chiha
Michel Chiha (1891–1954) was a Lebanese banker, a politician, writer and journalist. Along with Charles Corm, Petro Trad and Omar Daouk, he is considered one of the fathers of the Lebanese Constitution. His ideas and actions have had an importan ...
, Michel Talhamé,
Georges Schéhadé
Georges Schehadé (2 November 1905 – 17 January 1989) was a Lebanese playwright and poet writing in French.
Life and career
Georges Schehadé was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in an aristocratic Greek orthodox family of Lebanese origin but spent ...
, Emile Cousa,
Alfred Naccache,
Eveline Bustros, and
Blanche Amoun; all Christian Lebanese nationalists.
Arcache's literary career was influenced by Alexandria-based Lady Weissenborn, a German author and painter, and the Swiss poet
Jacques-René Fiechter, a university professor and director of the Swiss School of Alexandria de (''Ecole suisse d'Alexandrie''). Arcache was a pentalingual cosmopolite; she traveled extensively in Europe, and visited France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany.
In 1945, she married
Charles Kuentz, who headed the
Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale. She died in France in 1961.
Published works
* ''L'Egypte dans mon miroir'' (poetry -1931)
* ''La chambre haute'' (poetry - 1933)
* ''L'Emir à la croix'' (novel - 1938)
* ''Les chêvres d'Abou Soliman'' (novel - 1953)
References
Citations
Sources
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* {{Cite book , last=Najjar , first=Alexandre , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T3QtBQAAQBAJ , title=Dictionnaire amoureux du Liban , date=2014 , publisher=Place des éditeurs , isbn=978-2-259-22983-8 , language=fr
1902 births
1961 deaths
Lebanese women writers
20th-century French essayists