Kahlil Gibran: Beyond Borders

by Jean Gibran, Kahlil Gibran

Overview

Painter and poet, immigrant, rebel, global citizen, author of the beloved classic, The Prophet. Kahlil Gibran: Beyond Borders tells the inspiring saga of the artist’s life and creative vision Gibran’s story is one of overcoming barriers faced by many immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century—and still today. From his childhood and spiritual roots in Mount Lebanon to the city wilderness of urban America; from his apprenticeships in the creative circles of Boston, Beirut, Paris, and New York to his art and activism for “Greater Syria”; and from his friendships and loves to his emergence during the populist waves of the early 1900s as a people’s poe, Gibran crafted an art embracing a universal message that has become treasured in over forty languages. Exiled between the worlds and conflicts of the Middle East and the West, Gibran defied boundaries to assert a vision of an underlying humanity and faith that people share. This colorful, richly illustrated biography draws on a lifetime of dedicated, persistent research to bring Gibran’s compelling story into our time. It will make obsolete all previous accounts and will become the definitive study of this extraordinary and well-loved writer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566560931
Publisher:	Interlink Publishing Group, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/01/2016
Edition description:	Revised and Updated
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Jean and Kahlil G. Gibran are unusually qualified to present this story. The younger Kahlil Gibran, a noted Boston sculptor, is the poet's cousin and namesake. Jean Gibran is the author of Love Made Visible: Scenes from a Mostly Happy Marriage.

Painter and poet, immigrant, rebel, global citizen, author of the beloved classic, The Prophet. Kahlil Gibran: Beyond Borders tells the inspiring saga of the artist's life and creative vision Gibran's story is one of overcoming barriers faced by many immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century and still today. From his childhood and spiritual roots in Mount Lebanon to the city wilderness of urban America; from his apprenticeships in the creative circles of Boston, Beirut, Paris, and New York to his art and activism for 'Greater Syria'; and from his friendships and loves to his emergence during the populist waves of the early 1900s as a people's poe, Gibran crafted an art embracing a universal message that has become treasured in over forty languages. Exiled between the worlds and conflicts of the Middle East and the West, Gibran defied boundaries to assert a vision of an underlying humanity and faith that people share. This colorful, richly illustrated biography draws on a lifetime of dedicated, persistent research to bring Gibran's compelling story into our time. It will make obsolete all previous accounts and will become the definitive study of this extraordinary and well-loved writer.

Table of Contents

Foreword Salma Hayek-Pinault ix

Preface Kahlil George Gibran xi

Introduction Jean Gibran and the Interlink Gibran Project xvii

I

1 Born in Bsharri 3

2 A City Wilderness 21

3 Bookmaking and Bohemia 37

4 Beirut 59

5 "Pegasus Harnessed to an Ash-Wagon" 79

II

6 "A Gallery of Gracious and Novel Heads" 99

7 Al-Musiqa 111

8 "The Presence of a She-Angel" 125

9 Rebellious Spirits in Paris 145

10 Frontiers of Friendship 169

11 From Boston to New York 187

12 Growing Partnerships 207

13 Work Made Visible 227

III

14 War and Famine 255

15 A People's Poet 285

16 Awakenings in the Immigrant Press 303

17 No Longer Apart 329

18 "O Mist, My Sister" 353

19 "After All the Debts Are Paid" 369

20 The Final Years 383

21 Homecoming 411

Legacies 433

Notes 437

Bibliography 477

Acknowledgments 509

Index 514

Editorial Reviews

A splendid biography... —Boston Globe

Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), is unquestionably interesting, and this book features plenty of new research and many more photographs an important addition given that Gibran was also a visual artist. Gibran was a young boy when his father became involved in a political scandal in their home of Bsharri, Mount Lebanon. His mother took her children to Boston, where they lived in the Syrian section of town. Publisher and art photographer Fred Holland Day initially spotted Gibran's talent for art, and he helped him learn English, sparking his interest in literature. By the age of 15, Gibran was creating illustrations for Day's books and submitting to New York publishers. However, around the same time, he was sent back to Lebanon to study; his family feared he was too Americanized. The strong connections the authors have for their subject illustrate the deep ties of the Syrian people to their heritage. They are also excellent at explaining how the artist/writer lived a dual life: two languages, two careers, and both Arabic- and English-speaking colleagues. Gibran was lucky to find good mentors, including Day, fellow writer Josephine Peabody, and Mary Haskell, his patron. Haskell was his lifelong financial savior, but she also helped him translate his work into English while maintaining the feel of his thoughts. Gibran was always involved in groups of writers, Syrians, and politicians and his strong feelings for his homeland were a vital part of his soul. Auguste Rodin called him the William Blake of the 20th century, and his influence is still felt today, most notably with the continued sales of The Prophet, which was published in 1923 and has never been out of print. An enjoyable, generously illustrated book that will stimulate readers to reconsider Gibran, his work, and his heritage.
Kirkus Reviews

Jean Gibran (Love Made Visible) and artist Kahlil G. Gibran, godson of Kahlil Gibran, work as a husband-and-wife team, in collaboration with the Interlink Gibran Project, to continue their biographical exploration of the late poet. The book is chronologically organized from Gibran s birth in Ottoman Syria to his early death at the age of 48 in 1931. It reveals many of the persons who shared time with the author/artist during his short life writing, designing book covers, and producing multiple forms of visual art. For instance, the photographer and publisher Fred Holland Day, whose involvement in Gibran s early years assisted him onto the path that would be his life. But Gibran, during his whole life, also felt split between his adopted home of Boston, MA, and his birthplace in the Middle East. The authors make a point to draw attention to his cross-national identity, the details that connected him to his birthplace as well as to the Arabic language... that zoom lens on Gibran s life positively reflects the authors use of many special archives to produce this narrative. VERDICT Recommended for readers who have a soft spot for... upbeat literary narratives of writers. —Library Journal

From the Publisher

2016-05-04
Jean and Kahlil George Gibran chronicle the life of their famous relation in an updated—and greatly expanded—version of their 1974 book, Kahlil Gibran: His Life and World.The authors' subject, the Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), is unquestionably interesting, and this new edition of the book features plenty of new research and many more photographs—an important addition given that Gibran was also a visual artist. Gibran was a young boy when his father became involved in a political scandal in their home of Bsharri, Mount Lebanon. His mother took her children to Boston, where they lived in the Syrian section of town. Publisher and art photographer Fred Holland Day initially spotted Gibran's talent for art, and he helped him learn English, sparking his interest in literature. By the age of 15, Gibran was creating illustrations for Day's books and submitting to New York publishers. However, around the same time, he was sent back to Lebanon to study; his family feared he was too Americanized. The strong connections the authors have for their subject illustrate the deep ties of the Syrian people to their heritage. They are also excellent at explaining how the artist/writer lived a dual life: two languages, two careers, and both Arabic- and English-speaking colleagues. Gibran was lucky to find good mentors, including Day, fellow writer Josephine Peabody, and Mary Haskell, his patron. Haskell was his lifelong financial savior, but she also helped him translate his work into English while maintaining the feel of his thoughts. Gibran was always involved in groups of writers, Syrians, and politicians, and his strong feelings for his homeland were a vital part of his soul. Auguste Rodin called him the William Blake of the 20th century, and his influence is still felt today, most notably with the continued sales of The Prophet, which was published in 1923 and has never been out of print. An enjoyable, generously illustrated book that will stimulate readers to reconsider Gibran, his work, and his heritage.

Kirkus Reviews

A splendid biography...

Boston Globe

A solid biography... exhaustive... attractive to anyone who has been touched by his writings.

Booklist

In an age of rising populism, fear and xenophobia, what better time to read a rich enlightening book on love, multiculturalism, inspiration and beauty chronicling the life and work of a man who transcends borders and generations... Kahlil Gibran: Beyond Borders is a must-read for anyone who delighted in The Prophet, contemplated The Madman, was transported by The Broken Wings, haunted by Jesus, The Son of Man, and mesmerized by a copious portfolio of art... The 21-chapter, 524-page tome published by Interlink Books is an amazing meal of mezze (nibbling dishes), main courses, and desserts served with a generous dose of requisite arak (the anise and grape drink of his native land) to wash down all the delectable ingredients... The authors Kahlil G. Gibran, Gibran's late cousin, and wife Jean, provide readers with a wealth of information, archival photos, drawings, sketches, paintings, newspaper clippings, copies of publications, notes, references to heritage and immigration, and a fulsome bibliography that would please researchers, scholars, and just plain fans who know of the man's words from books, quotations, and greeting cards... From a village atop the Qadisha Valley where Gibran was born, to his father's arrest on embezzlement charges when he was eight, to his mother's decision to pack up her children and head for America, to the evolution of his talents and renown, it's a story worthy of an epic Hollywood movie.

The Huffington Post

The text extends an appreciation of Gibran's oeuvre far beyond his best-known work, with a close reading of art exhibitions, newspaper articles and poems. The reminiscences of family members and friends, access to archives worldwide and support from the Middle East-themed Interlink Books and its ongoing Gibran Project have helped the authors write an essential biography- which also answers the question: How did a Lebanese boy born with the name Jubran Khalil Jubran become known to the world as Kahlil Gibran?

Aramco World

06/15/2016
Jean Gibran (Love Made Visible) and artist Kahlil G. Gibran, godson of Kahlil Gibran, work as a husband-and-wife team, in collaboration with the Interlink Gibran Project, to continue their biographical exploration of the late poet. The book is chronologically organized from Gibran's birth in Ottoman Syria to his early death at the age of 48 in 1931. It reveals many of the persons who shared time with the author/artist during his short life writing, designing book covers, and producing multiple forms of visual art. For instance, the photographer and publisher Fred Holland Day, whose involvement in Gibran's early years assisted him onto the path that would be his life. But Gibran, during his whole life, also felt split between his adopted home of Boston, MA, and his birthplace in the Middle East. The authors make a point to draw attention to his cross-national identity, the details that connected him to his birthplace as well as to the Arabic language. Generally, they do well—even if a tad myopic. On the flip side, that zoom lens on Gibran's life positively reflects the authors' use of many special archives to produce this narrative. VERDICT Recommended for readers who have a soft spot for granular, upbeat literary narratives of writers.—Jesse A. Lambertson, Metamedia Management, LLC, Washington, DC

Library Journal