Kahlil Gibran Life and Works

Lebanese-American Poet and Philosopher

Jan 27, 2009 Tel Asiado

Brief biography and works of poet and philosopher Kahlil Gibran, famous for The Prophet. .

Kahlil Gibran's best-known book The Prophet is an exploration of love, spirituality, and self-fulfillment. It has remained popular since it was published in the 1920s, and is occasionally read at weddings.

Early Life of Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran was born on January 6, 1883, in Bsharri, Lebanon. A talented child, he learned drawing and writing, among other things, while young. At 12 years old, he went with his mother to Boston and stayed there for three years prior to returning to Lebanon to study Arabic.

He later studied drawing in Paris with Auguste Rodin, although he eventually settled in New York. He was 20 when his mother and his sister supported him while he focused on his writing and painting.

Poetry and Philosophy

Gibran's first published work was a collection of short stories set in Lebanon called Nymphs of the Valley. He was 23. His earliest works were in Arabic, and almost instantly, their beauty and spirituality made a tremendous impact so that his themes and style became known as "Gibranism."

Later, he wrote mostly in English. He was always concerned with spiritual questions in his work, be it art or poetry. He believed that people will be able to master their lives if they can find a way to live and think sensibly. The Prophet, for which Gibran also drew the illustrations and partly autobiographical, is about a man's search for spiritual self-fulfillment. It became a bestseller in 20 languages.

Kahlil Gibran died on April 10, 1931 at the age of 48. Most of his honors were given after his death.

Works by Kahlil Gibran

• Tears and Laughter, 1914
• The Madman, 1918
• Twenty Drawings, 1919
• The Forerunner: His Parables and Poems, 1920
• The Prophet, 1923
• Sand and Foam, 1926
• Kingdom of the Imagination, 1927
• Jesus the Son of Man, 1928
• The Earth Gods, 1931

Published after he died:

• The Wanderer: His Parables and His Sayings, 1932
• The Garden of the Prophet, 1933
• Lazarus and his Beloved, 1933
• Prose and Poems, 1934
• The Broken Wings, 1957
• A Self-Portrait, 1959
• Thought and Meditations, 1960
• Spiritual Sayings, 1962
• Voice of the Master, 1963
• Mirrors of the Soul, 1965
• Death of the Prophet, 1979
• The Vision, 1994
• Eye of the Prophet, 1995

"When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again you heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." --- Kahlil Gibran Quote source is brainyquote.com

Sources:

Goring, Rosemary (editor), Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994

McGovern, Una (editor), Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap, 2002

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Poet Kahlil Gibran, by Fred Holland, 1898

Gibran Museum, Bsharri, Lebanon