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Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931
Author, Poet, Philosopher, Artist
When you love you should not say, 'God is in my heart,' but rather, 'I am in the heart of God.'
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
The Reverend Flower A. Newhouse has said that Kahlil Gibran was an initiate mystic—an inspired poet who wrote with the language of the soul. He approaches God through the philosophical path showing us the values of the Godhead along with a noble concept of being. The artist in him gets closer to Divine Union through his realization and appreciation of the Divine spirit of beauty. There have been several writers and musicians who have spoken to us in their works, out of that which they conceived so spiritually, and Kahlil Gibran was one.
In books we discover those who write from the level of the soul. Among those who have lived here recently, are such examples as Kahlil Gibran, who wrote The Prophet and Jesus, Son of Man. Where the soul language is used, we cannot improve on the words, any of us, that we find in a book such as Gibran's.
Reverend Flower A. Newhouse, The Language of the Soul
Kahlil Gibran was born on January 6, 1883 in Bsharri, Lebanon. When he was 12 years old with his father in prison, Gibran emigrated with his mother and siblings to Boston. During his youth in Lebanon, he did not receive any formal schooling since his family was poor, but he was visited regularly by priests who taught him about the Bible, the Syriac and Arabic languages.
Gibran's first published works were drawings, which were used for book covers in 1898. His first art exhibition was held in 1904 in Boston. It was during this exhibition that Gibran met Mary Elizabeth Haskell, a respected headmistress ten years his senior. The two formed an important friendship that lasted for the rest of Gibran's life. Gibran loved her dearly, and Mary influenced not only Gibran's personal life, but his career as well.