Kahlil Gibran: A Biography
An intimate, literary biography of the renowned Lebanese-American poet, written by his close friend and fellow author. Best known for his collection of prose poetry, The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran is a legendary figure of early twentieth century literature. In this biography, Mikhail Naimy digs beneath the mythologized persona. Here is Gibran the man: wanderer, lover, and seeker of truth and beauty. Naimy, for whom Gibran called on his death bed, was a literary leader of the Middle East. He speaks as a direct observer and confidant, setting forth in intimate detail the incidents of Gibran's life. Many of Gibran's previously unpublished writings and sayings are included, throwing new light on the perspective and personal thoughts of a writer who has been so influential in the worlds of literature, art, and philosophy. An extensive supplement includes, among other valuable material, Gibran's last will and testament, and a series of personal letters written by him to the author over the years.
His father, also named Kahlil, had drinking problems and gambling debts. This led the senior Gibran to leave his job as an assistant pharmacist, taking work instead as an enforcer for the local Ottoman administrator. He eventually ended up in jail.
This difficult situation left the family in poverty. As a result, Gibran did not receive a formal education as a young boy, but a local priest taught him to read Arabic and Syriac, as well as stories from the Bible, filling him with an early awareness of the mystical dimensions of Christianity.
When Gibran was eight, his mother moved the family, including his older half-brother and his two younger sisters, to Boston. Although shy, Gibran quickly learned English and, thanks to a scholarship, started to receive more of a formal education.
The boy became fascinated by Boston's world of art and music, visiting galleries and performances. At age 13, his artistic gifts came to the attention of cultural circles in Boston, where he was furthe
The Strange Case of Kahlil Gibran and Jubran Khalil Jubran
By Francesco Medici
Copyright © Francesco Medici and all rights reserved
* This article is based on an excerpt from the paper Tracing Gibran’s Footsteps: Unpublished and Rare Material, in Gibran in the 21th Century: Lebanon's Message to the World, edited by H. Zoghaib and M. Rihani, Beirut: Center for Lebanese Heritage, LAU, , pp.
While his masterpiece The Prophet– originally published in English by Alfred Abraham Knopf in New York in , and translated into at least languages – is well-known by readers all over the world, the author’s biographical identity remains a mystery to most people: an American hippie writer or an old long-bearded Indian guru? The majority of Westerners indeed ignore he was an Arab-born poet, novelist and painter who immigrated with his family to the United States at the end of the 19th century from his native Mount Lebanon, part of the Ottoman Greater Syria.
One of the strangest enigmas related to him resides in his name: Arabs call him Jubran Khalil Jubran (Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān),¹but for the rest of the world he is Kahlil Gibran. To be sure, we know
Kahlil Gibran
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Who Was Kahlil Gibran?
Kahlil Gibran moved to the United States in and was exposed to Boston's artistic community. Initially showing promise as an artist, he also began writing newspaper columns and books in Arabic, drawing attention for his prose poems. After moving to New York City, Gibran began writing books in English, including his most famous work, The Prophet (). The popularity of The Prophet endured well after the author's death in , making him the third-best-selling poet of all time.
Early Years
Gibran Khalil Gibran was born on January 6, , to a Maronite Christian family in Bsharri, Lebanon. A quiet, sensitive young boy, he displayed an early artistic aptitude and a love for nature that became evident in later works. His early education was sporadic, although he received informal lessons from a local doctor.
Gibran's temperamental father worked as a tax collector, but he was charged with embezzlement and his property was seized. Seeking a better life, Gibran's mother in moved the family to Boston, Massachusetts, where they settled in the immigrant South End neighborhood.
Artistic Development
Receiving his first formal schooling, where he
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