Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran was born in 1883 in the mountain village of Bsharri in Ottoman-ruled Lebanon. His family emigrated to Boston when he was twelve, and he grew up navigating two cultures, two languages, and two artistic traditions. He studied art in Paris, became a painter of considerable reputation, and began publishing Arabic-language essays and stories that made him a literary celebrity in the Arab world. In 1923, writing in English, he published The Prophet, which became one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century. Gibran lived most of his adult life in New York City, where he was the center of a vibrant circle of artists and intellectuals, though he was plagued by poor health and alcoholism. He died in 1931 at the age of forty-eight. This author hub collects 1 work in the Canon Compass ranking, led by The Prophet.