Prophet: The Life and Times of Kahlil Gibran

In this new biography, Robin Waterfield traces the influential life of Kahlil Gibran from his first flush as the wounded Romantic to his final metamorphosis as the "Prophet of New York". Born in 1883, in northern Lebanon, Gibran emigrated to the United States in 1895. A gifted painter, he soon turned to writing. Although initially spurned, he ultimately gained approval and even adulation among the prominent avant-gardists of fin-de-siecle Boston and later in Greenwich Village.Though known outwardly for the peace and optimism that permeates his work, Gibran's life, according to Waterfield, was littered with personal tragedy and conflicted sexuality. For the road was by no means smooth, and he did not even live see the glorious success of The Prophet.A complete reassessment of all the remaining primary sources on Gibran, Prophet provides extraordinary insight into the character of a man whose writings still influence legions of readers.