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"To say nothing, do nothing, mark time, to bend, to straighten up, to blame oneself, to stand, to go toward the window, to change one’s mind in the process, to return to one’s chair, to stand again, to go to the bathroom, to close the door, to then open the door, to go to the kitchen, to not eat or drink, to return to the table, to be bored, to take a few steps on the rug, to come close to the chimney, to look at it, to find it dull, to turn left to the main door, to come back to the room, to hesitate, to go on, just a bit, a trifle, to stop, to pull the right side of the curtain, then the other side, to stare at the wall."—The opening paragraph from "To Be in a Time of War"
"To Be in a Time of War" was Etel Adnan's response to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Adnan was then living in California. Regarding her motivation for writing, she wrote in the introduction, "I was numb with apprehension…detached from my environment, projected to an East of my own mind, and alienated from myself, I took paper and ink and started to write…”
If writing is one way of facing war, perhaps reading can be another. In this reading session, we will "read" To Be in a Time of War. That is, the participants will read the full text aloud for each other, one by one, and then we will open up the floor for discussion. We will use this as a means of probing into a collective "I" in a time of war and feeling each other's presence vocally, to practice our sustained vocalization in front of the war machine.
About the Author
Etel Adnan (1925, Beirut - 2021, Paris) was a prolific writer and artist. She grew up speaking Greek and Turkish at home, Arabic on the streets, French, and later English, at school. She was named, in 2003, “arguably the most celebrated and accomplished Arab American author writing today” and came to widespread prominence as an artist through her inclusion in Documenta in 2012. She was fascinated by ants. Her center was not in the solar system. She began to identify as lesbian in her later years. On April 15, 2024, Google celebrated her with a Google Doodle.
Text will be available on-site. No prior reading is required.
There will be a limit of 8 participants. Please fill out the form to register.
On April 15, 2024, Google celebrated her legacy with an illustration on its homepage.
Image Courtesy: Google
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLFM5fw_dzCmX9kZGrTexCYalaJ7PVz3Q9sqqV8I0hgRmSyA/viewform
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
台北市萬華區艋舺大道110號1樓, Taipei, Taiwan 108028, Taiwan
