Lebanese writer and poet Salah Stétié, who strived in his work to reconcile eastern and western visions of the world and also led a diplomatic career, has died at the age of 90, announced on Wednesday May 20 , the Lebanese Embassy in France.

"A literary and diplomatic beacon died in Paris on the night of May 20, 2020," said the embassy on social networks, welcoming a "huge poet and writer". "He leaves behind a monumental work of 250 works, manuscripts, paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures exhibited at the Paul Valéry museum in Sète."

The poet, settled in France, even has a room with his name at the Paul Valéry museum since 2017. "We are both poets of the Mediterranean ... one of the most important regions in the stakes of war and world peace, "he said.

Grand Prix de la Francophonie

Born in Beirut in a family of the Sunni bourgeoisie, on December 28, 1929, at the time of the French mandate on Lebanon, Salah Stétié, whose father was a poet in the Arabic language, chose to write in French.

Remained viscerally attached to Lebanon, which remains the essential source of his poetic imagination, he is also the author of essays, translations of Arab poets or texts on art. His essay "The Bearers of Fire" (1972) was thus an in-depth study of the spiritual roots of the Arab world, as well as of its possible future.

Salah Stétié received the Grand Prix de la Francophonie awarded by the French Academy in 1995 for all of his work.

He was linked to a large number of writers of the 20th century, including Pierre Jean Jouve, Henri Michaux, René Char or Yves Bonnefoy.

A career as a diplomat

At the same time, Salah Stétié led a diplomatic career: former ambassador of Lebanon, notably in the Netherlands and Morocco, he also represented his country at Unesco in Paris and was director of political affairs and secretary general of the Lebanese Ministry of Business foreign.

"We are losing a dear friend who worked for peace and the dialogue of cultures, starting from his own Arab tradition", commented on Twitter the Director-General of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay.

I am deeply saddened by the death of # SalahStétié, poet, thinker and diplomat, former permanent delegate ambassador of #liban to @UNESCO. We lose a dear friend who worked for peace and the dialogue of cultures, from his own Arab tradition.

- Audrey Azoulay (@AAzoulay) May 20, 2020

"I always had an immense pleasure to exchange with this great erudite, humanist and generous spirit, in particular during his passages at the Voix vives festival of which he was honorary president", reacted on Facebook the mayor of Sète, François Commeinhes .

At the head of the Arab World Institute, Jack Lang praised the memory of a "lover of the world". "A true ferryman of peace, poetry and culture, this ambassador of the word opened the doors to new artistic and diplomatic horizons."

Salah Stétié was made Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor in 2015.

With AFP

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