Vénus Khoury-Ghata (1937–2026) was far more than a celebrated Lebanese-French poet and novelist: she was a rare voice who turned exile, memory, and the Lebanese imagination into living literature, honored by major French institutions for a body of work that helped shape contemporary Francophone poetry.  For TAKREEM Foundation, she was family. She witnessed our launch in 2010, and in Paris she showed up, every time, standing by our mission with quiet loyalty, intellectual grace, and the kind of steadfast support that holds a community together. She didn’t simply attend; she anchored, with presence, with belief, with friendship. Last night in Paris, she left peacefully. Today, we bow not to a « career ». but to a journey, a life written with dignity and fire. We loved you, Vénus. And you will always remain part of us. #vénuskhouryghata #poet #litterature #culture #arabvoices