The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran was born on January 6, 1883 in Northern Lebanon. He did not receive any formal education as a small child but had regular visits from the local priest who taught him the essentials of religion and the Bible, and the Syrian and Arabic languages. At the age of eight, Gibran's father was accused of tax evasion and thrown into an Ottoman jail. The authorities confiscated all of the family's possessions and the family had to stay with relatives. Gibran's strong and independent mother decided that it would be best for her family to start a new life in America, and on June 25, 1895, they emigrated to the United States. Gibran's father was released in 1894 but refused to join the family in the move. The rest of the family settled in Boston's South End, a highly Arabic community in which they felt very comfortable. They took over the running of a dry goods store and Gibran began to attend Boston public schools. In 1896, Gibran met Fred Holland Day, who opened up many cultural doors for Gibran, showing him the wonders of the artistic community that thrived in Boston. Day had Gibran's images made into cover designs for books in 1898, earning Gibran fame at an early age in the Boston art circles. His family, not wanting Gibran to be lost in this new world, forced him to return to Lebanon to complete his education and learn the Arabic language. In 1898 he enrolled in Madrasat-al-Hikmah, a Masonite-founded school, which offered a nationalistic curriculum partial to church writings, history and liturgy. The curriculum was not challenging to Gibran and he ordered it tailored to his specifications. The teachers complied, and Gibran immersed himself in the Arabic language bible. He finished college in 1902, after learning Arabic, French, and excelling in poetry. He returned to the U. S. soon after, after being notified that his sister had fallen ill. Upon his return, Gibran was forced to take over control of the family business when both his mother and brother became ill as well. All three family members died and Gibran sold the business and put all of his focus on his poetry and improving his Arabic and English. On May 3, 1904, Gibran hosted his first art exhibit, which featured his allegorical and symbolic charcoal drawings. The show was a great success, but not only because his work was well received, but because he also met Mary Haskell. Mary would go on to fund Gibran's artistic development for nearly his entire life. She also encouraged him to write in English, no longer translating his writings from Arabic. In 1904, Gibran began writing for an Arabic speaking émigré paper. His first publication was entitled "Vision," a romantic essay. His first Arabic book was called "Music," inspired by the Opera and published in 1905. Gibran then started writing a column in the newspaper called "Teas and Laughter" which would later form the basis for his book "A Tear and a Smile." He published his second Arabic book in 1906 called, "The Nymphs of the Valley," a collection of three allegories which take place in Lebanon. His third Arabic book was published in 1908; a collection of four narratives based on his writings on the social issues in Lebanon. The Syrian government censored the book and Gibran was threatened with excommunication from the church.