Around the "The Prophet" of Gibran Khalil Gibran

We began by introducing Gibran Khalil Gibran, born in 1883 in Bcharré, North Lebanon, who later emigrated to the United States. His most renowned work, The Prophet, was written in English and published in 1923.

The book centers around Al Mustafa, a prophet who has lived in the city of Orphalese for 12 years. As a ship arrives to take him home, he walks down from the mountain and is stopped by the people of Orphalese, who ask him deep questions about life, love, family, children, good and evil, beauty, and more.

Our speaker, Nada Kayrouz—who is also from Bcharré—wanted the gathering to be a space to reflect on the book and its themes.

The discussion opened with Sumar posing the question: "What philosophers inspired Gibran?" Names like Socrates, Nietzsche, and Spinoza were mentioned. Nada explained that Gibran had fallen in love with a wealthy girl in his youth, but was unable to marry her. This painful experience sparked in him a rebellion against aristocracy, religious control, and injustice—especially seen in his earlier works like The Broken Wings and Spirits Rebellious. In The Prophet, however, his tone becomes more serene, spiritual, and deeply connected to nature.

Lina shared her favorite quote from the book, from the chapter on children:
"Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself."
She reflected on how this line helped her better understand and support her children as they grew up.

Marina asked whether The Prophet could be read as a reflection of Gibran himself—a man who longed to be heard, who dreamed of creating his own spiritual path, even his own religion.

Mark responded with a touching image: Gibran was always waiting for a ship to take him from one place to another. He lived between contrasts—both poet and philosopher, rebel and sentimentalist. He opposed religious institutions yet loved Jesus, held deep affection for Bcharré and Lebanon, yet chose to live in New York. That, Mark said, is Gibran.

At this point, Nada raised a compelling question: why was Gibran never studied as a philosopher in academic settings, even during her own university years in philosophy? The group offered several answers—his identity as a poet and painter may have overshadowed his philosophical voice, and his writing style, rich in emotion and symbolism, didn’t follow the structured, analytical form expected in philosophy.

To close the evening, Maroun left us with a powerful question: Did Gibran truly fulfill his ambitions? He suggested that Gibran might not have succeeded in creating the change he hoped for, simply because his work didn’t reach the poor and the marginalized—those most in need of change. Instead, his writings were often reinterpreted and shaped to fit what others wanted them to mean.

Marina, the Coordinator of the Book Corner says:" It was such an amazing way to start the summer after a tough academic year. The meeting encouraged me to start reading and to embrace the Arabic literature!”