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    "El Profeta de Khalil Gibrán fue analizado en Antofagasta", Mundo Árabe, Jun 30, 1955, pp. 5,8.
    "El Profeta de Khalil Gibrán fue analizado en Antofagasta", Mundo Árabe, Jun 30, 1955, pp. 5,8.
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    "Robo judio Mois Hain Harun escritos del gran Gibrán Khalil Gibrán", Mundo Árabe, Feb 25, 1949, p. 5.

    "Robo judio Mois Hain Harun escritos del gran Gibrán Khalil Gibrán", Mundo Árabe, Feb 25, 1949, p. 5.

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    al-Nabī [The Prophet], Translated into Arabic by Antūniyūs Bashīr, al-Qāirah: al-Maṭbaʻah al-Raḥmānīyah bi-Miṣr, 1926.

    al-Nabī [The Prophet], Translated into Arabic by Antūniyūs Bashīr, al-Qāirah: al-Maṭbaʻah al-Raḥmānīyah bi-Miṣr, 1926.

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    al-Nabī [The Prophet], Translated into Arabic by Mīkhāʼīl Nuʻaymah [Mikhail Naimy], Bayrūt: Nawfal, 2015 (1st edition: Bayrūt: Nawfal, 1956).

    al-Nabī [The Prophet], Translated into Arabic by Mīkhāʼīl Nuʻaymah [Mikhail Naimy], Bayrūt: Nawfal, 2015 (1st edition: Bayrūt: Nawfal, 1956).

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    al-Nabī [The Prophet], Translated into Arabic by Sharwat 'Ukāshah, Bayrūt: Dār al-Shurūq, 2000.
    al-Nabī [The Prophet], Translated into Arabic by Sharwat 'Ukāshah, Bayrūt: Dār al-Shurūq, 2000.
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    Ameen Albert Rihani, The Book of Khalid and The Prophet. Similar Universal Concerns with Different Perspectives: A Comparative Study
    Ameen Albert Rihani, The Book of Khalid and The Prophet. Similar Universal Concerns with Different Perspectives: A Comparative Study, PALMA, Volume 7, Issue no. 1, 2001, pp. 31-41. 
    _________
     
    Presented at "The Gibran International Conference", University of Maryland, College Park, December 9-12, 1999, Maryland USA.
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    Bing Xin, “Autobiographical Notes,” Renditions – A Special Section on Bing Xin, translated into English by J. Cayley, No. 32, Autumn 1989, pp. 83–87.

    Bing Xin, “Autobiographical Notes,” Renditions – A Special Section on Bing Xin, translated into English by J. Cayley, No. 32, Autumn 1989, pp. 83–87.

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    Concerning the Author of "The Prophet", National Bahá'í Review, No. 6, Bahá'í Year 125, August 1968, p. 3.

    Concerning the Author of "The Prophet", National Bahá'í Review, No. 6, Bahá'í Year 125, August 1968, p. 3.

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    Der Novi (The Prophet), translated into Yiddish by Isaac Horowitz, Warsaw (Poland): Yatshkovski’s Biblyotek, 1929.
    Der Novi (The Prophet), translated into Yiddish by Isaac Horowitz, Warsaw (Poland): Yatshkovski’s Biblyotek, 1929.
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    Elisa Roncalli, "Kahlil Gibran, il profeta del dialogo tra fedi e culture: Intervista a Francesco Medici", L’Eco di Bergamo, Giovedì 5 Gennaio 2023, p. 34.

    Elisa Roncalli, "Kahlil Gibran, il profeta del dialogo tra fedi e culture: Intervista a Francesco Medici", L’Eco di Bergamo, Giovedì 5 Gennaio 2023, p. 34.

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    Elvis Presley's First Copy of The Prophet 1955

    Elvis Presley's First Copy of The Prophet Housed at the Gibran National Museum of Lebanon - Purchased by Glen Kalem-Habib 9th of March 2013

    To Whom it may Concern 

    My name Homer. M Gilleland For 29 years proceeding his death I was the personal hairdresser 

    of Elvis Aaron Presley. 

    I originally worked at department store in Memphis called Goldsmiths which had a hair salon. This is where I first met Elvis mother

    Gladys.  I also began cutting Elvis fathers hair that is how I Elvis and I gegan doing his hair as well. 

    During my employment as Elvis' hairdresser he gave me as gifts numerous items of clothing and personal

    property.

    This book titled The Prophet was the first book that Elvis received as a gift back in 1955

    and it's a book he would continue to read the rest of his life.

    Next to the bible it was his favorite book. This particular book which Elvis has handwritten “e.Ps 

    personal copy was the book he would often read to his mother. 

    Gladys loved this book as well and loved to listen to Elvis read passages out of it.

    As with all of Elvus books he would underline certain passages and make notes throughout the book.

    Elvis later gave this first copy of this book which he used to read to his mother years later to Charlie Hodge.

    I was present when Elvis gave Charlie(d)  this book

    Homer M Gilleland 

    7-14-1989

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    Gibran Khalil Gibran, Us Ne Kaha [He Said], The Prophet translated into Urdu, 1939.
    Gibran Khalil Gibran, Us Ne Kaha [He Said], The Prophet translated into Urdu, 1939.
     
    Tags: Urdu, TheProphet, 1939
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    Gladys Baker, "Kahlil Gibran, Syrian Poet-Artist, Tells How, Why He Wrote ‘The Prophet’", The Birmingham News, Sunday, December 11, 1927, p. 19.
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    Hasnain Jatoi, "In-depth analysis of Kahlil Gibran’s work 'On Marriage' and its concept in view of modern society", Dissertation, University of Sindh Jamshoro, Sessione 2016-2017.
    To assess Khalil Gibran’s interpretation and incarnation on “Marriage” from his classic masterpiece “The Prophet”, I’ve examined his psychological perspective on the subject of marriage in the light of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theory. The present paper depicts how Gibran perceives the ideation of marriage and ongoing conditions of unsuccessful marriages and increment on ratio of divorce. 
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    Hoda Thabet, "Four American Cultural Institutions in Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland", University of Iceland, School of Humanities, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Literature and Linguistics, 2016.
    Hoda Thabet, "Four American Cultural Institutions in Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland", University of Iceland, School of Humanities, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Literature and Linguistics, 2016.
    __________
     
    This paper investigates the influence of Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1835) and The Prophet by Khalil Gibran (1883-1930) on American literature from the perspective of four major cultural institutions. In the literature currently available, there is little in reference to the influence of Gilman and Gibran- two marginalized writers at the beginning of the era of American realism- on the discourse of American literature. 
    The purpose of this study is to focus primarily on the works of Gibran examining how he depicts four vital cultural institutions. The researcher will compare another marginalized writer, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, with Gibran and both of their focuses on, and the impact of, four cultural institutions on their writing. The institutions focused on are family, education, religion, and love of country. Gibran was a male who lived in an era when society oppressed women and considered them unequal to men. Gilman was a female who lived in the same era. Each has a very analytical, fictional approach to how things could be if they were different in real life. They are from two different traditions. Gibran was an Arab immigrant, who was a pioneer of Modern Arabic American literature. Gilman was an American woman living in a society where women are not valued nor considered equal to men. Many consider her a pioneer in feminism because of her in-depth look at women and their place in society in her writings. There is value in analyzing the works of writers from two different traditions. The comparison and contrast between the two gives a basis for better understanding each. It further enhances the understanding of a literature work’s impact on a historical era, as well as the impact that the historical era has on the literature of the time. Doing a comparative study of literature from the same period and with similar themes leads to greater understanding of not only the literature but the society of the time. An examination of their literary comparisons between Herland and The Prophet and their impact on the culture of the era is a focus of this paper. The structure of the intended analysis of Herland and The Prophet is as follows: to investigate three major factors. First, the researcher will examine Gibran’s work in light of its place in the literature of its individual culture and in relation to transcendentalism. Second, the researcher will then examine Gilman’s work in light of its culture. Finally, the researcher will compare the effect of Herland and The Prophet on four major cultural institutions of their era. The four investigated institutions included are family, religion, education, and love of country (patriotism). Many scholars trace Herland and The Prophet in the study of American literature as pioneering iconic works. However, critical and cultural approaches proposed in the literary studies will compare the featured writings of Gibran to Gilman. The comparative study of inter-textual relation between The Prophet and Herland will define a more in-depth understanding of how their writing influenced the four institutions defining culture.
     
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    Josephine Preston Peabody, The Prophet [probably inspired by Kahlil Gibran], The Singing Man: A Book of Songs and Shadows, Boston-New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1911, pp. 53-55.

    Josephine Preston Peabody, The Prophet [probably inspired by Kahlil Gibran], The Singing Man: A Book of Songs and Shadows, Boston-New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1911, pp. 53-55.

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    K. Gibran, Der Prophet (The Prophet), translated into German by Georg-Eduard Freiherr von Stietencron, München: Hyperionverlag, 1925.

    K. Gibran, Der Prophet (The Prophet), translated into German by Georg-Eduard Freiherr von Stietencron, München: Hyperionverlag, 1925.

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    K. Gibran, Jeevan Sandesh (The Prophet), trans. into Sanskrit, 1979.

    K. Gibran, Jeevan Sandesh (The Prophet), trans. into Sanskrit, 1979.

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    K. Gibran, Katcilik [The Prophet], translated into Kotava by Staren Fetcey, Kotavaxak dem Suterot, 2015.

    K. Gibran, Katcilik [The Prophet], translated into Kotava by Staren Fetcey, Kotavaxak dem Suterot, 2015.

    _______
    Kotava is a proposed international auxiliary language (IAL) that focuses especially on the principle of cultural neutrality. The name means "the language of one and all," and the Kotava community has adopted the slogan "a project humanistic and universal, utopian and realistic". The language is mainly known in French-speaking countries and most material to learn it is in French.
    Kotava was invented by Staren Fetcey, who began the project in 1975, on the basis of her study of previous IAL projects. The language was first made available to the public in 1978, and two major revisions were made in 1988 and 1993. Since then, the language has stabilized, with a lexicon of more than 17,000 basic roots.

     

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    K. Gibran, Le prophète, Traduit de l'anglais et présenté par Anne Wade Minkowski, Préface d'Adonis, Paris: Gallimard, 1992.

    K. Gibran, Le prophète, Traduit de l'anglais et présenté par Anne Wade Minkowski, Préface d'Adonis, Paris: Gallimard, 1992.

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    K. Gibran, Le prophète, translated into French by Madeline Mason-Manheim, Paris: Éditions du Sagittaire, 1926.

    K. Gibran, Le prophète, translated into French by Madeline Mason-Manheim, Paris: Éditions du Sagittaire, 1926.

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    K. Gibran, Paigambar (The Prophet), Translated into Sindhi, Naon Niyapo Academy, 2017.

    K. Gibran, Paigambar (The Prophet), Translated into Sindhi, Naon Niyapo Academy, 2017.

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    K. Gibran, Pravakta [The Prophet], trans. into Telugu, Hyderabad (India): Chikkala Krishna Rao, 1994.

    K. Gibran, Pravakta [The Prophet], trans. into Telugu, Hyderabad (India): Chikkala Krishna Rao, 1994.

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    K. Gibran, Sang Nabi [The Prophet], translated into Malay by Iwan Nurdaya Djafar, Yogyakarta (Indonesia): Bentang, 2003.

    K. Gibran, Sang Nabi [The Prophet], translated into Malay by Iwan Nurdaya Djafar, Yogyakarta (Indonesia): Bentang, 2003.

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    K. Gibran, Usne Kaha [The Prophet], Translated into Sanskrit, Uttar Pradesh: Bharatiy Akhil Sangh Seva, 1957.

    K. Gibran, Usne Kaha [The Prophet], Translated into Sanskrit, Uttar Pradesh: Bharatiy Akhil Sangh Seva, 1957.

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    Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" read and performed at St. Mark's-in-the-Bouwerie (New York), The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York), Oct 13, 1928, p. 5.

    Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" read and performed at St. Mark's-in-the-Bouwerie (New York), The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York), Oct 13, 1928, p. 5.

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    Kahlil Gibran: The Prophet, The Artist, The Man [Guide], State Library of New South Wales, 4 December 2010 to 20 February 2011.

    Kahlil Gibran: The Prophet, The Artist, The Man [Guide], State Library of New South Wales, 4 December 2010 to 20 February 2011.

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    Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet: Curriculum Guide For the Film, Journeys in Film-Participant Media, 2015.

    Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet: Curriculum Guide For the Film, Journeys in Film-Participant Media, 2015.

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    Kehlog Albran, The Profit, Los Angeles: Price/Stern/Sloan Publishers, 1973.

    Kehlog Albran, The Profit, Los Angeles: Price/Stern/Sloan Publishers, 1973.

     

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    Khalil Gibran, El Profeta, translated into Lombard Language by Marc Tamburell, Monza (Italy): Menaresta, 2015.
    Khalil Gibran, El Profeta, translated into Lombard Language by Marc Tamburell, Monza (Italy): Menaresta, 2015.
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    Koliswa Moropa, "The initiator in the translation process: A case study of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran in the indigenous languages of South Africa", South African Journal of African Languages, Volume 32, Issue 2, 2012, pp. 99-109. 
    Koliswa Moropa, "The initiator in the translation process: A case study of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran in the indigenous languages of South Africa", South African Journal of African Languages, Volume 32, Issue 2, 2012, pp. 99-109. 
    ______ 
    This article examines the role played by the initiator in the translation of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran into the indigenous South African languages and the resulting influence on the translator's decisions. This is achieved through an exploration of how this work came to be translated into the indigenous languages of South Africa, with a discussion of who initiated the translation process, and the intention behind the decision. Translation scholars generally agree that the translator is seldom given an explicit brief; it then becomes his or her responsibility to ask for one. In considering the function of the initiator in the translation of this work by Gibran, the aim was to establish whether the brief provided by the initiator was useful. The article seeks to establish some guidelines as to what constitutes a clear translation brief, in the case of literary translation in particular.
     
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    Lebsir Mohamed & Louiza Akram, "Misinterpretation in Literary Translation in Gibran Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet", The University 8 Mai 1945 (Algeria), 2016.  _______
    Lebsir Mohamed & Louiza Akram, "Misinterpretation in Literary Translation in Gibran Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet", The University 8 Mai 1945 (Algeria), 2016. 
    _______
     
    This study aimed at investigating the difficulties that translators who deal with the English and Arabic language may face when translating literary expressions. Particularly, it aimed at answering the following questions: 1. What are the main difficulties, related to translation that may lead the translator to misinterpret the source text (English) into (Arabic)? 2. What are the elements that should be taken into consideration to translate, interpret adequately from ST to TT? To achieve the goal of this study, the researcher selected The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran translated work from English to Arabic following the two translations by Tharwat Okasha and Antonious Bachir. The researcher focused on two key elements which are subjectivity and equivalence taking into account many odd elements that are mainly related to literary works such as cultural aspects and linguistic as well as extra-linguistic features of the language. The results show that in order to avoid misinterpreting the source text, the translator has to carefully select the equivalent words and expressions taking into account all aspects of the source language as well as being objective while translating. Adequate literary translation must bring an equivalent and objective production of the source text’s style, meaning, and sometimes structure. Otherwise, the subjective and distinctive literary use in the original text will not transmit the three aspects in the target text.
     
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    Maria Paola Porcelli, "Gibran, «Il Profeta» dell’Oriente amava le piramidi di New York", La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, Nov 20, 2005, p. 25 (review)

    Maria Paola Porcelli, "Gibran, «Il Profeta» dell’Oriente amava le piramidi di New York", La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, Nov 20, 2005, p. 25 (review)

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    Maya El Hajj, Aporias in Literary Translation: A Case Study of "The Prophet" and Its Translations, "Theory and Practice in Language Studies", Vol. 9, No. 4, April 2019

    Maya El Hajj, Aporias in Literary Translation: A Case Study of "The Prophet" and Its Translations, "Theory and Practice in Language Studies", Vol. 9, No. 4, April 2019, pp. 396-404.

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    Mirrors of Heritage, Special Issue–Centennial of The Prophet, Lebanese American University, September 2023.
    Mirrors of Heritage, Special Issue–Centennial of The Prophet, Lebanese American University, September 2023.
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    Narjes Ennasser and Rajai R. Al-Khanji, "Congruities and incongruities in Arabic literary translation: A contrastive linguistic analysis of 'The Prophet' by Khalil Gibran", Kervan–International Journal of Afro-Asiatic Studies, Vol 26, No 1 (2022), pp. 277

    Narjes Ennasser and Rajai R. Al-Khanji, "Congruities and incongruities in Arabic literary translation: A contrastive linguistic analysis of 'The Prophet' by Khalil Gibran", Kervan–International Journal of Afro-Asiatic Studies, Vol 26, No 1 (2022), pp. 277-300.

    Three Arabic translations of Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” are chosen among other available Arabic translations. Fifteen translated texts from the book were included for the analysis in this study. The three translations are by Basheer (1934), Abdelahad (1993), and Okasha (2008). The study investigates and analyzes different linguistic levels: discourse, stylistic, semantic, syntactic, and lexical among others as well as different choices made by the translators in rendering the same source text (ST) elements. The study found out that adopting different translation strategies by the translators led to different versions of the same ST. These strategies are based on the aesthetic ornamentation approach by As-Safi (2016). They include idiomaticity, stylistic considerations, cultural orientation, semantic/lexical accuracy, and syntactic accuracy. 

     

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    Nidaa Hussain Fahmi Al-Khazraji - Mardziah Hayati Abdullah - Bee Eng Wong, "Critical Reading of Gibran’s World in The Prophet", English Language and Literature Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, Vol. 3, No. 4, 2013. 
    Nidaa Hussain Fahmi Al-Khazraji - Mardziah Hayati Abdullah - Bee Eng Wong, "Critical Reading of Gibran’s World in The Prophet", English Language and Literature Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, Vol. 3, No. 4, 2013. 
    _________
     
    Gibran Khalil Gibran (1883-1931), the Lebanese writer, poet, artist and philosopher, was the bearer of faith in the unity of all religions. He was a key figure in the history of modern EnglishandArabic literature in early 20th Century.The present paper is to show how Gibran represents the world and undesirable social practices in the time of writing his greatest book The Prophet (1923). Gibran lets the readers fell that the prophet (Al-Mustafa) doesn’t belong to this very world; he comes to Orphalese to teach humanity and to correct the society under the tenets of all major religious. Each character in The Prophet, except Al-Mustafa, resamples one member of the deformed society who seeks deliverance. Gibran shortens the process of life and its needs in the 28 texts allowing the readers take an active role to interpret and to dictate the context on oblique hints and innuendo. Gibran views the world as a place that lacks love and peace, where individuals’ life is depraved and corrupted. The most obvious, Gibran is speaking through the mouth of Al-Mustafa preaching many commandments, disciplines and rituals.
     
    O centenário de “O Profeta”, Carta do Líbano, Ano 28, N. 192, Jan 2023.
    O centenário de “O Profeta”, Carta do Líbano, Ano 28, N. 192, Jan 2023.
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    Reem Mohammed Alzaid, "The Ethics of Prophecy, Utopian Dream, and Dystopian Reality: A Comparative Study of Thomas More’s Utopia and Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet", University of Alberta (Canada), 2016. 
    Reem Mohammed Alzaid, "The Ethics of Prophecy, Utopian Dream, and Dystopian Reality: A Comparative Study of Thomas More’s Utopia and Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet", University of Alberta (Canada), 2016. 
    ____________ 
    The main purpose of this study is to compare Thomas More’s Utopia and Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet in relation to their context, as well as to determine how they were received by the academic community. More and Gibran created imaginary worlds in order to criticize their own communities, and to outline what could be the elements of an ideal society. They were educators who created imaginary places in order to fashion their utopian dream. Although they came from different cultures and eras, they touched on common social problems that are still relevant today in our modern society, such as materialism, fanaticism, and the restriction of individual freedom. They were concerned with what constitutes a utopian society and what are the necessary characteristics of an ideal state. Chapter one focuses on Khalil Gibran’s life and on how his personal life and historical background are reflected in his main work The Prophet. The chapter also examines the impact of his hybrid identity as a Lebanese-American immigrant on his writing. Gibran spent his life between the East and the West, and was influenced by both cultures and literatures. This chapter examines how Gibran’s biography contributed to the success of The Prophet and to what extent it is a multireligious and multicultural text. The Prophet went through a long process of gestation before it was published in English which, as now, was the universal language at the time, and which contributed enormously to the popularity of the work. Chapter two looks at More’s biography as the author of Utopia and evaluates how it can be read as a critique of England in the fifteenth century. Utopia has been interpreted in many ways given the contradictions which arise in the text which are responsible for its many ambiguities. In Book I, More appears to criticize English tradition by presenting his Utopia as an ideal commonwealth. Hythloday, the main character of the work, admires these Utopian traditions when in fact More satirizes them for these same reasons. What More criticizes in Book I corresponds to what is said to be positive in utopian society in Book II. This chapter also discusses how interpretations of Utopia differ over time and how some critics have read it as a representation of an ideal commonwealth while others have viewed it as a criticism of English society and culture. Chapter three is a comparative study of More’s Utopia and Gibran’s The Prophet and it deals with their different versions of utopia. The first part of the chapter discusses the major themes that these works have in common such as pride and how it can be destructive in a society when linked to religion or material possessions. Individual freedom is the other major topic they have in common. Both More and Gibran embrace the concept of individualism and reject the idea of a collectivist society. For them, what is destructive of a community is the repression of the individual and his desires. More’s and Gibran’s dream of Utopia, while related to their specific and different backgrounds, find a common ground in their hopes for a similar ideal society. The thesis concludes with a Conclusion that summarizes the differences and similarities between these two authors.
     
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    Roberto Meza Fuentes, "El Profeta por Gibran Jalil Gibran", La Reforma, Jan 7, 1933, p. 2.

    Roberto Meza Fuentes, "El Profeta por Gibran Jalil Gibran", La Reforma, Jan 7, 1933, p. 2.

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    The Face of the Prophet, Raidy, July 2015.

    The Face of the Prophet, Raidy, July 2015.

     

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    The Garden of the Prophet, London: Heinemann, 1954 1st edition: New York: Knopf, 1933.

    At his death Gibran was working on The Garden of the Prophet (1933), which was to be the second volume in a trilogy begun by The Prophet. It is the story of Almustafa’s return to his native island and deals with humanity’s relationship with nature. Of the third volume, “The Death of the Prophet,” only one sentence was written: “And he shall return to the City of Orphalese . . . and they shall stone him in the market-place, even unto death; and he shall call every stone a blessed name.”

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    The Prophet - Armed Services Editions ASE 1943-1947 - Council on Books in Wartime

    Armed Services Editions were small paperback books of fiction and nonfiction that were distributed in the American military during World War II. From 1943 to 1947, some 122 million copies of more than 1,300 ASE titles were distributed to servicemembers, with whom they were enormously popular. The ASEs were edited and printed by the Council on Books in Wartime (CBW), an American non-profit organization, in order to provide entertainment to soldiers serving overseas, while also educating them about political, historical, and military issues. The slogan of the CBW was: "Books are weapons in the war of ideas." 

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    The Prophet, New York: Knopf [1st edition: 1923]

    Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet, was published in September 1923. The earliest references to a mysterious prophet counseling his people before returning to his island home can be found in Haskell’s journal from 1912. Gibran worked on it from time to time and had finished much of it by 1919. He seems to have written it in Arabic and then translated it into English. As with most of his English books, Haskell acted as his editor, correcting Gibran’s chronically defective spelling and punctuation but also suggesting improvements in the wording. The work begins with the prophet Almustafa preparing to leave the city of Orphalese, where he has lived for twelve years, to return to the island of his birth. The people of the city gather and beg him not to leave, but the seeress Almitra, knowing that his ship has come for him, asks him instead to tell them his truths. The people ask him about the great themes of human life: love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, and many others, concluding with death. Almustafa speaks of each of the themes in sober, sonorous aphorisms grouped into twenty-six short chapters. As in earlier books, Gibran illustrated The Prophet with his own drawings, adding to the power of the work. The Prophet received tepid reviews in Poetry and The Bookman, an enthusiastic review in the Chicago Evening Post, and little else. On the other hand, the public reception was intense. It began with a trickle of grateful letters; the first edition sold out in two months; 13,000 copies a year were sold during the Great Depression, 60,000 in 1944, and 1,000,000 by 1957. Many millions of copies were sold in the following decades, making Gibran the best-selling American poet of the twentieth century. It is clear that the book deeply moved many people. When critics finally noticed it, they were baffled by the public response; they dismissed the work as sentimental, overwritten, artificial, and affected. Neither The Prophet nor Gibran’s work, in general, are mentioned in standard accounts of twentieth-century American literature, though Gibran is universally considered a major figure in Arabic literature. Part of the critical puzzlement stems from a failure to appreciate an Arabic aesthetic: The Prophet is a Middle Eastern work that stands closer to eastern didactic classics such as the Book of Job and the works of the twelfth- and thirteenth-century Persian poets Rumi and Sa’di than to anything in the modern American canon. Gibran knew that he would never surpass The Prophet, and for the most part, his later works do not come close to measuring up to it. The book made him a celebrity, and his monastic lifestyle added to his mystique.