Kahlil Gibran: Man and Poet

This book is an exceptionally professional work that is remarkably well documented in terms of references and bibliography. It is therefore an excellent reference for the scholar but somewhat difficult to read for enjoyment or an introductory overview. I was shocked to discover that the paperback version has no illustrations, even though they are listed in the table of contents. Therefore, if pictures are important, I would recommend the hardback version. A biography that I would recommend first is "Kahlil Gibran, His Life and World," by his cousin and namesake, Kahlil Gibran and wife, Jean. However, even that one falls slightly short in capturing the essence of Gibran's messages; Gibran was a writer of such advanced spiritual vision that few who have written about him have fully grasped what he tried to convey, attributing much to emotionality that was really spirituality of a higher order. While not biographies, as such, two books by contemporaries who knew him very well give invaluable insight into Gibran's life and character: "Beloved Prophet" (his letters exchanged with Mary Haskell) and, to a lesser extent but also valuable, "This Man from Lebanon," by Barbara Young. Also worthwhile is Gibran's "Love Letters" (to May Ziadah).

Inextricably linked to the 1960s counterculture now, Kahlil Gibran is either caricatured, cruelly parodied & dismissed by some as shallow, or else revered as a poet-prophet by others. The truth lies between those two extremes, and leans considerably closer to the latter. But the current Age of Snark really doesn't know what to make of someone far more complex than his popular image, nor of someone so clearly sincere in his yearning for spiritual harmony & understanding. Sadly, that asks more vulnerability & openness than many are willing to risk these days.This fine, thoroughly researched biography gives us the man himself, in a rich narrative that encompasses both his humanity & his spiritual expression in both the visual arts & in poetry. It goes far to restore the genuine depth of Gibran & invite a renewed reading of his work. Given the increasing darkness & outright hatred erupting across the globe these days, his message is all the more meaningful & urgent. If you've considered Gibran, then shrugged your shoulders at what you think to be sentimental treacle, a reading of this biography might well make you reconsider that shrug. There's far more here than meets the glancing but unseeing eye, if you're willing to look ...