The Prophet (A Borzoi Book) [Hardcover]

Kahlil Gibran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 1923

Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet, is one of the most beloved classics of our time. Published in 1923, it has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American editions alone have sold more than nine million copies.

The Prophet is a collection of poetic essays that are philosophical, spiritual, and, above all, inspirational. Gibran’s musings are divided into twenty-eight chapters covering such sprawling topics as love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, housing, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.

Each essay reveals deep insights into the impulses of the human heart and mind. The Chicago Post said of The Prophet: “Cadenced and vibrant with feeling, the words of Kahlil Gibran bring to one’s ears the majestic rhythm of Ecclesiastes . . . If there is a man or woman who can read this book without a quiet acceptance of a great man’s philosophy and a singing in the heart as of music born within, that man or woman is indeed dead to life and truth.”

With twelve full-page drawings by Gibran, this beautiful work makes an incredible gift for anyone seeking enlightenment and inspiration.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In a distant, timeless place, a mysterious prophet walks the sands. At the moment of his departure, he wishes to offer the people gifts but possesses nothing. The people gather round, each asks a question of the heart, and the man's wisdom is his gift. It is Gibran's gift to us, as well, for Gibran's prophet is rivaled in his wisdom only by the founders of the world's great religions. On the most basic topics--marriage, children, friendship, work, pleasure--his words have a power and lucidity that in another era would surely have provoked the description "divinely inspired." Free of dogma, free of power structures and metaphysics, consider these poetic, moving aphorisms a 20th-century supplement to all sacred traditions--as millions of other readers already have. --Brian Bruya

Review

"His power came from some great reservoir of spiritual life, else it could not have been so universal and so potent, but the majesty and beauty of the language with which he clothed it were all his own" -- Claude Bragdon "It's packed full of poems and sonnets and words of wisdom. Inspirational stuff" -- Tamzin Outhwaite Daily Express "It was all the rage in the 60s, when it was almost like a bible to me. To any question, there was always a simple answer" -- Cynthia Lennon Mail on Sunday "A book that changed me ... was The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, which has passages about every section of life. My parents gave me a copy when I left home; it's a bit of a family Bible" -- Julia Bradbury Independent on Sunday --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf (September 23, 1923)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394404289
• ISBN-13: 978-0394404288
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (446 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Inspirational & Religious

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

178 of 184 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeper than you can imagine January 17, 2006

By L. Power TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A prophet has waited twelve years in a coastal town for the ship that will bear him back to his homeland, which he misses.

Why he is there, why he is waiting, how he knows what he knows, and who he is is a mystery. As he departs the townspeople gather to wish him well. A local seeress who knows him best asks him to share his wisdom so that it will endure for generations to come.

So, he reveals his wisdom on love, birth, marriage, children, pain, talking, pleasure, death any so much more.

It is a profound work, and here is his advice on marriage so you may judge for yourself:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Its not a little similar to the Tao Te Ching: A New English Version (Perennial Classics)where a border guard recognises Lao Tzu, and asks him to share his wisdom as he goes into exile. Written 2,500 years ago, and one of the most translated books in the world. The Tao contains many principles you can use in your everyday life, and if you're not thinking in ego based ways, your wisdom based thinking opens up..

If you like one book, you will love the other, so I recommend both. For the Tao, I recommend the Stephen Mitchell version. Hope this was useful.

85 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Wisdom November 10, 2000

By Kathy Adams

Format:Hardcover

Gibran gets right down to the bedrock of what it is all about. He was obviously a very enlightened man, and The Prophet is so completely, psychologically and spiritually healthy. Anyone who would not consider this work a standard for healthy living, is simply simple-minded. This book should be offered to all high school students as a guide in gaining perspective on what is really important in life. I first read The Prophet about 10 years ago, and I typically read it about once a year, just to remind myself. However, I gave my copy to my son who showed signs of being "at risk" at age 17. I believe the book had a significant, positive impact on him, and he is now 20 and living a very responsible and balanced life. After my son had read this book, I found him on the telephone one evening reading passages to a friend. It made him think, and any time you can get a teenager to think, it's a very good thing.

147 of 157 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Prose May 6, 2000

By Mary Seale

Format:Hardcover

I first became aware of Kahlil Gibran when I read a poem of his that was on the menu at my favorite Lebanese restaurant. Ever since then, I have sought out his books. The Prophet is my favorite. Several of the "poems" or passages are fully relevant to parts of my life. The book makes one feel good and inspired to do good for others. There is barely an aspect on life that the poems do not touch on-love, marriage, death and all of our own insecurities and doubts about people and life. This would be a good book to give to a friend who is going through a rough time, or just has unanswered questions at a certain point in their lives. The writing is lucid, insightful, and will be relevant for as long as time goes on.The drawings add to an already great work. At my favorite Lebanese restaurant, I not only found good food-I thankfully found Kahlil Gibran.