Kahlil Gibran Biography

Born in the town of Bsharri in the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Ottoman Empire (north of modern-day Lebanon), as a young man he immigrated with his family to the United States, where he studied art and began his literary career, writing in both English and Arabic. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature, especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero.

He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book "The Prophet", an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again especially in the 1960s counterculture. Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.

Selected works:

• ARA'IS AL MURUDJ, 1906
• STONEFOLDS, 1907
• ON THE THRESHOLD, 1907
• AL-ARWAH AL-MUTAMARRIDA, 1908
• DAILY BREAD, 1910
• FIRES, 1912
• AL-AJNIHA AL-MUTAKASSIRAH [The broken wings], 1912
• DAM'AH WA-IBTISAMAH [A Tear and a Smile], 1914
• THE MADMAN, 1918
• AL-MAWAKIB [The Procession], 1919
• THE FORERUNNER, 1920
• SPIRITS REBELLIOUS, 1920
• THE PROPHET, 1923
• SAND AND FOAM, 1926
• JESUS, THE SON OF MAN, 1928
• THE EARTH GODS, 1931
• GARDEN OF THE PROPHET, 1933
• THE DEATH OF THE PROPHET, 1933
• TEARS AND LAUGHTER, 1947
• NYMPHS OF THE VALLEY, 1948