The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English. First published in 1923, it is Gibran’s best known work. The prophet, Almustafa, is leaving the city of Orphalese, to board a ship that will carry him back home. The book starts when he is stopped by a group of people and answers to their questions about different topics, such as love, marriage, laws, freedom, time, and many others. It is written in an archaic style, recalling certain translations of the Bible. Gibran declares no clear religious affiliation, he was influenced by his own religion, but also fascinated by the mysticism of the Sufis. Many, included Auguste Rodin, associated Gibran to William Blake and Walt Whitman and he had many connections to the Baha’i Faith starting around 1912. At The Prophet followed The Garden of the Prophet, which was published posthumously in 1933, always on the same style and themes.
Inhoudsopgave
About the Editor
Further Reading
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
Introduction
THE COMING OF THE SHIP
ON LOVE
ON MARRIAGE
ON CHILDREN
ON GIVING
ON EATING AND DRINKING
ON WORK
ON JOY AND SORROW
ON HOUSES
ON CLOTHES
ON BUYING AND SELLING
ON CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
ON LAWS
ON FREEDOM
ON REASON AND PASSION
ON PAIN
ON SELF-KNOWLEDGE
ON TEACHING
ON FRIENDSHIP
ON TALKING
ON TIME
ON GOOD AND EVIL
ON PRAYER
ON PLEASURE
ON BEAUTY
ON RELIGION
ON DEATH
THE FAREWELL
Over de auteur
KAHLIL GIBRAN was a Lebanese poet and artist, naturalized American in 1895. He was born close to Mount Lebanon in 1883. The millions of Arabic-speaking people familiar with his writings in that language consider him the genius of his age. His fame and influence spread beyond the Near East. His poetry is one of the most translated all over the world: ‘The Prophet’ alone counts translations into more than twenty languages. And his beautiful drawings and paintings have been exhibited across the globe. He held his first art exhibition in Boston in 1904 and went to Paris in 1908 for two years to study with Auguste Rodin, who compared his mystical drawings and paintings to the work of William Blake. His many works include ‘The Prophet’ (1923), ‘The Madman’ (1918), ‘The Garden of the Prophet’ (1933), ‘A Tear and a Smile’ (1914); ‘The Broken Wings’ (1912); and ‘Spirit Rebellious’ (1908). He died in New York in 1931.