The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran

Ciao have put this enigmatic little book in the ‘philosophy’ section but it is not that easy to classify. If it is philosophy then it is very simple philosophy but with a sort of ‘shallow’ depth. According to the back cover of my copy The Prophet is “the most famous work of religious inspiration of the twentieth century.” The claim is at least partially justified for this book has sold 10 million copies world-wide, has been translated into more than 20 languages and, in America is second only to the Bible in sales. But why? What is so special about it? In ... more

The Prophet is the work of Kahlil Gibran. It has been classed at philosophy, although I think it would have been better qualified as poetry. All the lines are written in verse rather than a prose style. Plus it does not really pose any kind of argument. There is not really a story to the Prophet. It is basically about a prophet who appears before his people and offers them advise in a poetic form. This would appeal to people who like Paulo Coelho The Alchemist or Richard Bach's Seagull as it is has a same basically uplifting message. Essentially the prophet offers advise to the people in a ... more

My best friend leant this book to me once because she said that it was right up my street and that I would love it. She was right. Kahil Gibran is a poet and a philosopher and has written many book slike this one. It is an amazing story of man named Almustafa, the prophet, who has waited 12 years for his ship to return to the Island he was on to take him back to his birth place. On the 12th year he climbs a hill and sees his ship in the distance coming to take him back home. As he rushes down the hill he is overcome by sadness because he does not know how he can leave this place in peace and ... more

Those who have not read any of Kahlil Gibran's work, and who are unfamiliar with the man, would surely find "The Prophet" a worthy introduction. It is an intensely spiritual work, written as a simple tale. Gibran's writing offers solace when one's mood is low, and is a worthy modern book of parables. I have read other works by Kahlil Gibran and yet none touched me as much as this one. As you read, you find yourself craving a higher spiritual plane, exploring yourself, your life, the possibilities and opportunities of your future - and yet this is not what the book is about. It just provokes ... more

If I had a choice of only ten books to take with me onto a desert island this would be one. Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese poet/artist who died in his early 40s from tuberculosis, is a consummate writer. In this book he reached the peak of his gifts. The artwork is simple but effective with delicate drawings of androgenous naked figures wreathed in mist in a featureless landscape. The prose is also deceptively simple but with a force and depth which speaks as strongly today as it did when the book was first published. Although the work seems to be a fictional account of a prophet teaching a ... more