Kahlil Gibran 1883—1931

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese artist, poet, and writer. After immigrating with his family to the United States as a young man, he studied art and began his literary career, writing in both English and Arabic. 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 The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose.

Gibran was a great admirer of poet and writer Francis Marrash, whose works he had studied at al-Hikma school in Beirut. According to orientalist Shmuel Moreh, Gibran’s own works echo Marrash’s style, many of his ideas, and at times even the structure of some of his works; Suheil Bushrui and Joe Jenkins have mentioned Marrash’s concept of universal love, in particular, in having left a “profound impression” on Gibran. The poetry of Gibran often uses formal language and spiritual terms; as one of his poems reveals: “But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.“