Kahlil Gibran ─ Beyond Borders

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 schooling as an impoverished young newcomer in Boston’s South End to recognition of his talent by settlement house social workers; from his apprenticeships in the creative circles of Boston, Beirut, Paris, and New York to his art and activism for “Greater Syria” and the emigrant community and press; and from his friendships, loves, and partnerships to his emergence during the populist waves of the early 1900s as a people’s poet—both in Arabic and English, 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.

Jean and Kahlil Gibran are unusually qualified to present this story. The younger Kahlil Gibran, a noted Boston sculptor, is the poet's cousin and namesake. Over a forty-year period, he was entrusted with a formidable body of work left by the poet. Jean Gibran is the author of Love Made Visible: Scenes from a Mostly Happy Marriage. She has worked closely with her husband in researching and writing this biography.