Glen Kalem 22 Apr 2014

Gibran in Italy

Francesco Medici is a well accomplished scholar and translator of the works of Kahlil Gibran. A native of Bari, Italy he has translated many of Gibran’s work including the plays, “Lazarus and his beloved” and “The Blind Man” and not to mention the critically acclaimed “The Prophet” in Italian.

Francesco is also a research assistant on the film Kahlil Gibran The Reluctant Visionary who has contributed immensely items of research and priceless articles towards the film’s story and treatment.

He has a couple of new books out in Italian that are well worth looking into.

The first book is titled:

“Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet and the Child” [Il profeta e il bambino] this is a collection of unpublished writings and testimonial collected and edited by Mr. Medici. Publishing House: Editrice La Scuola, Brescia [Italy] 2013.

Summary:

Ever since he was still alive, the figure of Gibran began to be identified with that of “prophet” – the protagonist of his most famous work – and to this day it remains difficult to distinguish

SPE-1

the man from the myth. Along with rare and unpublished writings, photographs and illustrations, this anthology brings together a rich selection of testimonials and anecdotes, never published in Italy, revealing the lesser-known side of the personality of one of the most popular authors in the world: his sense of humor , the playful spirit and a lively curiosity, but also the emotional vulnerability and intimate fragility. The volume concludes with some tributes rendered to Gibran by the poets of the caliber of his fellow countrymen Ameen Rihani and Mikhail Naimy and Americans Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

You can review and buy IL PROFETA E IL BAMBINO online.

The second book is translation of Ameen Rihani’s ~ The Book of Khalid (1911) this novel is considered to be the first by an Arab-American writer in English. Gibran a contemporary, of Ameen illustrated the work, and the story is often seen as an influence on Gibran’s own well-known book The Prophet.

Summary:

It’s the first Italian translation of Ameen Rihani‘s masterpiece The Book of Kahlid [Il Libro di Khalid] with original illustration by Kahlil Gibran. Francesco Medici translated and edited the work and the foreword was written by world renown Gibran scholar, Professor Suheil Bushrui. Published by Mesogea, Messina Italy 2014.