"The Prophet" is a book containing 26 short stories written in poetic form. The book was created by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American poet and writer. It was first published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. This is Gibran's most famous work. According to the Kahlil Gibran Collective, "The Prophet" has been translated into more than 100 languages. It is one of the best-selling books in history. The book has always been available for sale and has never been out of print.

Synopsis

After living in the city of Orphalese for 12 years, the prophet Almustafa sees the ship that will take him home arrive in the harbor. The people of Orphalese, knowing the prophet is about to leave, call to him and ask him to stay. They follow him to the great square in front of the temple. Almitra, a woman who was the first in the city to believe in Almustafa, comes out of the temple and asks him to speak to the gathered crowd before leaving. The rest of the book, except for the last chapter, includes Almustafa's speeches to the crowd about many topics, such as love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, houses, 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. After speaking about all these subjects, Almustafa says a final goodbye to the people of Orphalese and leaves on the ship.

Popularity

The book The Prophet has been translated into more than 100 languages. By 2012, the American edition alone had sold over nine million copies since its first publication in 1923.

The first print run in 1923 was 2,000 copies, and 1,159 were sold. Demand for the book doubled in 1924 and doubled again in 1925. A French translation was completed by Madeline Mason-Manheim in 1926. By the time Gibran died in 1931, the book had also been translated into German. Sales reached 12,000 copies in 1935, 111,000 in 1961, and 240,000 in 1965. The book sold its one millionth copy in 1957. At one time, it sold more than 5,000 copies worldwide each week.

Gibran was born a Maronite Christian. His beliefs were shaped by his religion, the Bahá’í Faith, Islam, and Sufi mysticism. His understanding of Lebanon’s violent history, which included conflicts between groups, strengthened his belief in the unity of all religions. His parents showed this belief by welcoming people of different faiths into their home. Connections have also been made between Gibran’s work and the writings of William Blake, as well as the ideas of Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson, such as reincarnation and the concept of the Over-soul. Themes in his work included Arabic art, European Classicism (especially the work of Leonardo da Vinci), Romanticism (including Blake and Auguste Rodin), the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and modern movements like symbolism and surrealism.

Gibran’s connection to the Bahá’í Faith began around 1912. A friend, Juliet Thompson, remembered that Gibran met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when the leader visited the West. Gibran had planned to draw a portrait of him and could not sleep the night before their meeting. Later, he told Thompson that meeting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made him feel he had “seen the Unseen, and been filled.” Gibran started writing The Prophet in 1912, inspired by a vision of an “Island God” rather than a mountain god. In 1928, during a film about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Gibran wept and praised the leader’s importance, leaving the event still crying.

Royalties and copyright control

Gibran instructed that after his death, the money from his books and art, as well as the legal rights to use his work, would belong to his hometown, Bsharri, Lebanon. The Gibran National Committee (GNC) in Bsharri is responsible for managing the Gibran Museum. Established in 1935, the GNC is a non-profit organization that has the only legal permission to manage the rights to Gibran's books, poems, and artwork.

The Garden of the Prophet

After publishing The Prophet, Gibran wrote The Garden of the Prophet, which was released after his death in 1933. The book tells the story of Al Mustafa speaking with nine followers after he returns from being away for some time. It also includes the poem "Pity the Nation," which Gibran wrote about 20 years before the book was published.

Adaptations

• 1973: The Profit; Albran's Serial, a humorous copy of a book published in 1973 by Price/Stern/Sloan, California. It was written under the false name Kehlog Albran, which was used by authors Martin A. Cohen and Sheldon Shacket. The book was printed four times by 1981.
• 1974: The Prophet by Khalil Gibran: A Musical Interpretation featuring Richard Harris. The music was created by Arif Mardin for Atlantic Records.
• 1985: The Prophet was adapted into a complete audiobook version, narrated by Paul Sparer. It was printed again in 2006.
• 2009: The Prophet: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Khalil Gibran, an album by Australian oud musician Joseph Tawadros. The album won the Limelight Award for Best World Music Achievement in 2010 and was nominated for an Australian Recording Industry Award (ARIA) for Best World Music Album in 2010.
• 2010: The Propheteer, a satirical book that reimagines The Prophet as George W. Bush giving a speech to his advisors on the White House lawn while waiting for a helicopter to take him to Texas. The book has the ISBN 978-1-4502-6057-2.
• 2014: Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, an animated film version of the book. Salma Hayek produced the film and provided the voice for the character Karima. Each chapter of the film was directed by a different person, with Roger Allers, who worked on The Lion King, overseeing the project.