For author Gheed El Bizri ’25 publishing her first book, “Les Obsessions D’un Poète”, which is written in French, has been long in the making.

Writing the book has been a dream-come-true and a vulnerability, according to Bizri, a former managing editor for The Daily. “Each part of this book contains a part of me hidden between the lines. In sharing it with the world, I feel like I’m leaving a piece of my heart,” she said.

Bizri has entertained the idea of being a writer from age 10, when she started reading French and Russian literature at 13 and fell in love with the texts’ simple but elegant style married with deeper philosophies.

Books like French philosopher Albert Camus’s novel “The Stranger” opened Bizri’s eyes to a “whole new world” of meaning and taught her the importance of reading to be a good writer. “It’s not enough just to have an idea. You have to see different styles and find your style,” Bizri said.

Bizri’s first novel, still unpublished, follows a female writer struggling with a mental health disorder.

“Les Obsessions D’un Poète” is Bizri’s second foray into novel writing. Drawing inspiration from Camus, Bizri first started writing this book when she was 15. 

“Les Obsessions D’un Poète” tells the story of Antonio, a poet who comes from a poor family. Antonio is inspired by French poet Louis Aragon.

Antonio’s Lebanese identity, drawn from Bizri’s own Lebanese background, was particularly important for Bizri to tell. “I feel like a lot of Lebanese people grow up in a family of low income and build themselves from nothing,” she said. Bizri attempted to highlight the resilience in Antioni’s Lebanese identity.

Alma is another central figure to Bizri’s story who Antonio develops an “obsession” for. Following their marriage, the two characters realize they don’t truly understand each other, and Antonio is forced to recreate his image of Alma through his poems. Through Antonio’s writings, Bizri hoped to illustrate the “contrast between reality and fiction.”

According to Bizri, her characters are mirrors of herself philosophically, in finding purpose, fearing failure and fearing dying “without actually having lived.” For Bizri, writing “Les Obsessions D’un Poète” was her way of leaving something behind that’s bigger than herself.

The publication of “Les Obsessions D’un Poète” spanned six years. Bizri started preparing the manuscript in 2018 when she was 15, writing during her time after school every night. She finished writing after three years, but moving to Stanford delayed the process of editing.

Bizri found more time to edit when she was 19, reviewing the piece herself and then finding professional editors online. After getting scammed in her initial search, Bizri pivoted to a more local resource, landing on a team in Lebanon.

“I worked with them to make it as perfect as possible,” Bizri said. In finalizing her piece, Bizri recalled finding new areas to “critique” with each read.

After the editing process, Bizri looked for publishers. A leading bookstore chain in Lebanon, Librairie Antoine, had been Bizri’s dream publishing house. “I really wanted this book to be big,” Bizri said. “I was really flattered that they liked it. It’s a dream come true.”

Bizri’s professors were also her resources in editing and publishing strategies.

To professor Diana Saleh from the Lebanese University, who coordinated the French programs at Bizri’s middle and high schools, what distinguishes Bizri is her “perseverance and desire to want to fulfill a childhood dream,” Saleh wrote to The Daily.

Stanford professor of French and Italian Cécile Alduy commented on Bizri’s dedication. “I was gripped from the start by the sensuality and poetry of her prose,” Alduy wrote to The Daily. While reading, Alduy said she had forgotten the work had been penned by a student.

Before giving the green light for printing, Bizri described her publishers’ patience with her last-minute changes in the cover, color, font and more. “I’m a bit of a perfectionist, but at the same time it’s my first book, and I wanted it to reflect who I am,” she said.

While reading her book, Bizri hopes her readers pay attention to the story’s seasons, landscapes and atmospheres. These details are metaphors for Antonio’s states of mind, which “echo the history of Lebanon” and “reflect human turmoil,” she said.

On a broader level, Bizri hopes her readers can uncover parts of themselves they never knew existed and feel “less alone and their own obsessions and dreams.”

Bizri also shared advice to help other students interested in a similar project. Though she had moments of inspiration when words were “flowing,” she also had moments of writer’s block and doubt. To address this, Bizri likes carrying a notebook, collecting notes throughout the day to have in front of her when she writes.

“I wanted to give up, but every time I returned to the story, I genuinely felt a drive and I felt like I needed to tell it,” Bizri said.

Despite its “highs and lows,” Bizri’s journey of writing has been “as transformative as the final result itself,” she said.

“Be easy on yourself,” Bizri said. “I had this dream of being a published author at 18, but things take time. This is a part of yourself, and you want to feel proud of it, so it’s okay to take time.”