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Gibran Khalil Gibran (Arabic language|Arabic:
جبران خليل جبران ) (January 6 1883
– April 10 1931) was a Lebanon|Lebanese
poet, artist and Maronite Christian. His poetry is
notable for its use of formal language and
insights on topics of life using spiritual terms.
He studied art in Boston, and French
language|French and Arabic language|Arabic in
Lebanon.

== Youth in Lebanon ==

Growing up in the lush region of Bsharri, Gibran
proved to be a solitary and pensive child who
relished the natural surroundings of the cascading
falls, the rugged cliffs and the neighboring green
Cedar|cedars, the beauty of which emerged as a
dramatic and symbolic influence to his drawings
and writings. Being laden with poverty, he did not
receive any formal education or learning, which
was limited to regular visits to a village priest
who taught him the essentials of religion and
Bible|The Bible, alongside Syriac and Arabic
language|Arabic languages. Recognizing Gibran's
inquisitive and alert nature, the priest began
teaching him the rudiments of alphabet and
language, opening up to Gibran the world of
history, science, and language. 

At the age of ten, Gibran fell off a cliff,
wounding his left shoulder, which remained weak
for the rest of his life. To relocate the
shoulder, his family strapped it to a cross and
wrapped it up for forty days, a symbolic incident
reminiscent of Christ's wanderings in the
wilderness and which remained etched in Gibran's
memory.

Khalil Gibran, Gibran's father, was accused of tax
evasion and was sent to prison; the Ottoman
authorities confiscated the Gibrans' property and
left them homeless. The family went to live with
relatives for a while; however, the strong-willed
mother decided that the family should emigrate to
the U.S., seeking a better life and following in
suit to Gibran's uncle who emigrated earlier. The
father was released in 1894, but he was undecided
about emigrating and remained behind in Lebanon.

== Youth in America ==

On June 25, 1895, the Gibrans embarked on a voyage
to the American shores of New York.

The Gibrans settled in Boston's South End, which
at the time hosted the second largest Syrian
community in the U.S. following New York. The
culturally diverse area felt familiar to Kamila,
who was comforted by the familiar spoken Arabic,
and the widespread Arab customs. Kamila, now the
bread-earner of the family, began to work as a
peddler on the impoverished streets of South End
Boston. At the time, peddling was the major source
of income for most Syrian immigrants, who were
negatively portrayed due to their unconventional
Arab ways and their supposed idleness.

In the school, a registration mistake altered his
name forever by shortening it to Kahlil Gibran,
which remained unchanged for the rest of his life,
despite repeated attempts at restoring his full
name. Gibran entered school on September 30, 1895,
merely two months after his arrival in the U.S.
Having no formal education, he was placed in an
ungraded class reserved for immigrant children,
who had to learn English language|English from
scratch. Gibran caught the eye of his teachers
with his sketches and drawings, a hobby he had
started during his childhood in Lebanon.

== Cultural Growth and Works ==

Gibran's curiosity led him to the cultural side of
Boston, which exposed him to the rich world of the
theatre, Opera and artistic galleries. Prodded by
the cultural scenes around him and through his
artistic drawings, Gibran caught the attention of
his teachers at the public school, who saw an
artistic future for the boy. They contacted Fred
Holland Day, an artist, photographer and a
supporter of artists who opened up Gibran's
cultural world and set him on the road to artistic
fame.

In 1904 Gibran had his first art exhibition in
Boston. From 1908 to 1910 he studied art in Paris
with Auguste Rodin. In 1912 he settled in New
York, where he devoted himself to writing and
painting. Gibran's early works were written in
Arabic language|Arabic, and from 1918 he published
mostly in English. Among his best-known works is
The Prophet (book)| The Prophet, a book of 26
poetic essays: which has been translated into over
20 languages.

In 1920 he founded a society for Arab writers, The
Pen League (al-Mahgar). Among its members were
Mikha'il Na'ima (1889 – 1988), Iliya Abu
Madi (1889 – 1957), Nasib Arida (1887
– 1946), Nadra Haddad (1881 – 1950),
and Ilyas Abu Shabaka (1903 – 47).

== Death and legacy==

Gibran died in New York City on April 10, 1931: 
the cause was determined to be cirrhosis of the
liver, and tuberculosis.  He was buried in the
chapel of Mar Sarkis in Lebanon. He is probably
the most famous Arab-American writer ever, and
"The Prophet" remains widely popular, with certain
passages being read at some weddings and
christenings. Gibran's works were especially
influential in the American popular culture in the
1960s.  Many Americans have a misconception that
Gibran is Islam|Muslim because of his Arabic name,
which is actually a Christian-Arabic name. Much of
Gibran's writings deal with Christianity mostly
condemning the corrupt practices of the Eastern
churches and their clergies during that era.

==Bibliography==

*Ara'is al-Muruj (Nymphs of the Valley, also
translated as Spirit Brides, 1906)
*al-Arwah al-Mutamarrida
(http://leb.net/gibran/works/spirits/spiritsr.html
Spirits Rebellious, 1908)
*al-Ajniha al-Mutakassira
(http://leb.net/gibran/works/BrokenW/broken.html
Broken Wings, 1912)
*Dam'a wa Ibtisama
(http://leb.net/gibran/works/tear/tearandsmile.htm
l A Tear and A Smile, 1914)
*http://leb.net/gibran/works/madman/madman.html
The Madman (1918)
*al-Mawakib (The Processions, 1919)
*al-'AuasiJ (The Tempests, 1920)
*http://www.kafel.com/poetry/gibran/fore1.html The
Forerunner (1920)
*al-Bada'i' waal-Tara'if (The New and the
Marvellous,1923)
*http://leb.net/gibran/works/prophet/prophet.html
The Prophet, 1923 - his best known work
*http://leb.net/gibran/works/sand/sand.html Sand
and Foam (1926)
*http://leb.net/gibran/works/jesus/jesus.html
Jesus, The Son of Man (1928)
*http://leb.net/gibran/works/earth/earthg1.html
The Earth Gods (1929)
*http://leb.net/gibran/works/wanderer/wander.html
The Wanderer (1932)
*http://leb.net/gibran/works/garden/garden.html
The Garden of The Prophet (1933)

== External links ==

*http://leb.net/gibran Online copies of texts by
Gibran
*http://www.inner-growth.info/khalil_gibran_prophe
t/main.htm Kahlil Gibran Fan Site
*http://agutie.homestead.com/files/children_1.html
On Children, a poem by Kahlil Gibran with
animation and sound. From Geometry from the Land
of the Incas
*http://groups.msn.com/LEBANESE/httplebnetgibran.m
snw Chronological Biography of Gibran