K
Kahlil Gibran
Lebanese American artist, poet and writer.
The Prophet
Synopsis
The Prophet is Kahlil Gibran's most beloved work: a slender book of prose poetry that has never been out of print since its publication in 1923. Almustafa, a prophet who has lived twelve years in the foreign city of Orphalese, is about to board the ship that will carry him home when the people gather to ask him to share his wisdom before he goes.
In twenty-six poetic sermons, Almustafa speaks on the great matters of a human life — love and marriage, children and giving, work and joy and sorrow, freedom, reason and passion, friendship, time, good and evil, prayer, and death. His counsel is gentle, paradoxical, and quietly radical, urging readers toward a life of openness, self-knowledge, and spiritual courage.
Translated into more than a hundred languages, The Prophet is a touchstone of modern spiritual literature — a book people return to across weddings, funerals, and every threshold in between.
Genres
Frequently asked questions
Is this book part of a series?
The author originally intended for this work to be the first installment of a trilogy, with the posthumously published The Garden of the Prophet serving as the second volume. A third planned installment, titled The Death of the Prophet, was never completed by the author.
Are there any film adaptations of this book?
A 2014 animated anthology film produced by Salma Hayek adapts the text by featuring different directors for each of the poetic sermons. Additionally, the work has been adapted into a graphic novel by illustrator Pete Katz.