Carolyn and I have appreciated the work of Lebanese-American writer, poet, visual artist, and philosopher Khalil Gibran, who is best known as the author of The Prophet — a collection of poetic essays on life, love, and spirituality— which is one of the best-selling books of all time and has been translated into more than 100 languages. Gibran’s writings, influenced by Sufi Mysticism, Romanticism, and his Lebanese heritage, emphasize universal themes of love, freedom, and self-discovery. Beyond literature, Gibran was also a talented visual artist, producing hundreds of paintings and drawings. His work bridges Eastern and Western philosophical traditions, making him one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century.

Gibran Khalil Gibran was born in 1883 in Bsharri, a village of Ottoman-ruled Lebanon (then part of Greater Syria) to a Maronite Christian family. His father worked as a tax collector for the Ottoman authorities. His mother came from a respected family and was a strong, resourceful woman. To support her children, she worked as a seamstress. Her influence was profound, encouraging Gibran’s artistic and intellectual development while ensuring the family’s survival during difficult times.

Gibran grew up in a mountainous village rich in natural beauty, folklore, and religious influences, which would later shape his poetic and mystical sensibilities. Despite hardships, these early years exposed him to Lebanon’s rich cultural traditions and spiritual heritage, which deeply influenced his later work. As a child, Gibran was introspective, imaginative, and deeply sensitive to the world around him. Despite receiving little formal education in his early years, he showed a natural talent for drawing and storytelling.

In 1891, Gibran’s father was imprisoned for financial misconduct. This event led to the Ottoman authorities seizing the family’s property, contributing to their financial struggles. This left Gibran, his mother, and his siblings struggling to survive. In 1894, his father was released, but by then, his mother had decided to seek a better life elsewhere. In 1895, she emigrated with Gibran and his siblings to the United States, settling in Boston, where they joined a thriving Lebanese immigrant community. This move was pivotal, as it exposed Gibran to Western art and literature, shaping his future as a writer and artist.

In Boston Gibran’s artistic and intellectual talents began to flourish, and he was discovered by art patron Fred Holland Day, who encouraged his creative pursuits. In 1898, Gibran’s mother sent him back to Lebanon to study at the prestigious Collège de la Sagesse in Beirut, where he deepened his knowledge of Arabic literature, poetry, and philosophy. He returned to Boston in 1902, only to face personal tragedy— his mother, sister, and half-brother all fell ill, and both his half-brother and one sister died from tuberculosis within months. In 1903, Gibran’s mother also died of tuberculosis, leaving him devastated but determined to pursue his creative dreams.

Only Gibran’s sister Mariana and he survived. Mariana became a seamstress to help support them while Gibran pursued his artistic and literary career. These losses profoundly impacted Gibran’s outlook, reinforcing themes of love, loss, and spirituality in his later work. He found support from Mary Haskell, a school principal who became his patron, editor, and close confidante. With her financial help, he traveled to Paris in 1908 to study art at the Académie Julian, where he was exposed to European artistic movements and met influential intellectuals. During this time, he refined his artistic and literary vision, blending Eastern mysticism with Western artistic techniques — an approach that would define his later works.

In 1910. Gibran returned to the United States and settled in New York, where he established himself in the artistic and literary circles of the city. Supported by Haskell, he focused on developing his English-language writing, shifting from Arabic to a broader audience. During this period, he published several works in Arabic, including Broken Wings in 1912, a novel exploring love and societal constraints. As World War I unfolded, he increasingly advocated for Syrian and Lebanese independence from Ottoman rule. His engagement with politics, spirituality, and literature deepened, setting the stage for his later masterpieces.

The same year that Broken Wings was published, Gibran fell deeply in love with a Lebanese woman named May Ziadeh, a writer and intellectual living in Egypt. Though they never met in person, their passionate correspondence lasted nearly 20 years, filled with poetic exchanges about love, art, and philosophy. Their letters reveal a profound emotional and intellectual connection, making it one of the most famous literary romances conducted entirely through writing. Despite their mutual affection, they never bridged the physical distance, leaving their love story forever in the realm of words and longing.

Gibran’s early works were sketches, short stories, poems, and prose poems written in simple language for Arabic newspapers in the United States. In 1918, Gibran published The Madman, his first book in English, marking a turning point in his literary career. Over the next few years, he continued writing and painting, refining his distinctive blend of mysticism, philosophy, and poetic prose.

Gibran’s spiritual perspective was deeply mystical, blending elements of Christianity, Sufism, and Eastern philosophy. He saw love as the highest spiritual force and believed in the unity of all existence, often emphasizing the interconnectedness of humanity with the divine. His work rejects rigid dogma and instead embraces a personal, experiential approach to spirituality, valuing inner wisdom, freedom, and self-discovery. Gibran’s vision of God was not confined to religious institutions but found in nature, art, and human relationships. His writings encourage transcendence beyond materialism and ego, advocating for a life guided by love, beauty, and compassion.

Gibran became a leader among the Lebanese and Syrian immigrant intellectual community in New York, advocating for the independence of his homeland from Ottoman and later French rule. During this period, he worked on what would become his most famous book, The Prophet, which he completed in 1922, and contains his illustrations. Gibran’s growing influence positioned him as a visionary thinker bridging Eastern and Western traditions.

In the following years, Gibran reached the height of his literary fame. In 1923, he published The Prophet, his masterpiece, which received modest initial success but gradually became one of the most beloved and widely translated books of all time. The book’s poetic meditations on love, freedom, and the human condition cemented his reputation as a visionary writer. During these years, Gibran continued to write and paint. In 1928, he published Jesus, The Son of Man, a unique retelling of Christ’s life through the voices of those who knew him. However, his health began to decline due to chronic illness and years of excessive alcohol consumption.

Gibran’s health deteriorated due to chronic liver disease and tuberculosis. Despite his declining condition, he continued working on his writings and artistic projects. In 1931, Gibran passed away in New York City at the age of 48. As per his wishes, his body was transported back to his birthplace, Bsharri, Lebanon, where he was buried in a monastery that later became a museum dedicated to his life and work.

The Gibran Museum is housed in what was an old cavern, known as the Monastery of Mar Sarkis, where many hermits sought refuge since the 7th century. Founded in 1935, the Gibran Museum possesses 440 original paintings and drawings by Gibran and his tomb. It also includes his furniture and belongings from his studio when he lived in New York City and his private manuscripts.

Though he died relatively young, Gibran’s legacy as a timeless poet, philosopher, and artist, whose work bridges Eastern and Western traditions, endured, with The Prophet continuing to inspire millions worldwide. It remains one of the best-selling spiritual works of all time, inspiring readers with its poetic wisdom on love, freedom, and self-discovery. Beyond his literary contributions, Gibran’s advocacy for Lebanese and Syrian independence and his philosophical explorations of human nature continue to resonate. His influence extends to writers, artists, and thinkers across cultures, solidifying his place as one of the most profound and enduring voices of the 20th century.

Some of the quotes that Khalil Gibran is known for include:

Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love. And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.

If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they don’t, they never were.

Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness.

Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts.

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

We are all like the bright moon, we still have our darker side.

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.

I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.

by David Jay Brown