By Glen Kalem-Habib All rights reserved copyright © 2025 For generations, Kahlil Gibran’s words—from The Prophet to his early Arabic poetry—have stirred souls and sparked inspiration. As one of the largest Gibran-focused websites, we frequently hear from readers asking, Which of his works are free to use? What’s still under copyright? So, we dug deeper—and the answer isn’t as simple as you might expect. Surprisingly, some of Gibran’s most cherished works entered the public domain earlier than many realize. After combing through U.S. copyright records, we’ve created a straightforward guide on what you can freely share, adapt, and republish—and whe...
by Francesco Medici and Glen Kalem-Habib all rights reserved copyright ©2025 Gibran’s Immense Tragic Eyes: Nathalie Sedgwick Colby’s Memoir Kahlil Gibran met President Woodrow Wilson’s Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby (1869–1950), a Manhattan lawyer, and his wife, Nathalie Sedgwick Colby (née Washburn, 1875–1942), an American translator and novelist, between late 1920 and early ...
Hilda de Windt-Ayoubi published a newly Dutch-translated version of the book; 10 years ago, she...
Lebanon, My Lebanon by Tania Sammons all rights reserved © copyright 2024 I made a pilgrimage to Lebanon in January 2018. An invitation to talk about educator Mary Haskell Minis and artist/writer Kahlil Gibran...
By Paul G. Chandler (reposted from www.paulgchandler.com) I have been struck by the number of individuals that I have recently met who find themselves despairing, and experiencing a sense of hopelessness. It reminded me of a multi-platform marketing campaign I initiated in a previous role that I held. It was in a Western part of the US that had one of the highest rates of those who die by suicide. To capture people’s imaginations and with the intent to be of encouragement, using billboards on highways and via different social media platforms, the campaign slogan was simply “Rope Hope,” with an accompanying image of a cowboy roping a st...
The book in two volumes, Folk Songs of Many Peoples with English Versions by American Poets, published in New York in 1922, in its section dedicated to Syria, includes six texts translated from the original Arabic into English, three of which by Ameen Rihani (Amīn Fāris al-Rīḥānī, 1876-1940), and the other three by Kahlil Gibran (Ǧubrān Ḫalīl Ǧubrān, 1883-1931). Musical scores and the original texts are provided with the translations of the Syrian/Lebanese folk songs, arranged by the Cypriot-born American composer, conductor, and pianist of Lebanese origin Anis Fuleihan (Anīs Fulayḥān, 1900-1970). The songs translated by Rihani are al-Dabkah, with the title Across The Bridge, O Come, Taftā Hindī (Indian Taffeta), and Marmar Zam...
Story by Glen Kalem-Habib All rights reserved. copyright 2024 © Glen Kalem-Habib When we think of Kahlil Gibran’s artistry, it is a given to say that we define him through the lens of his much admired poetry above anything else. His timeless literary work, "The Prophet" supersedes even his principle expression as a visual artist; a body of work estimated at well over 700-800 pieces, all of which was refined primarily by his modality within the mediums of watercolour, oil, and graphite. And it is here, we further find another lesser-known facet of Gibran's craft that deserves our attention: his remarkable talent as a portraitis...
By Francesco Medici all rights reserved. © Copyright Francesco Medici 2024 The Arabist, writer and historian José Elias Guraieb (Yūsuf Ilyās al-Ġurayyib, 1894–1980) was born in Bāniyyās, Syria, to a Lebanese father and a Syrian mother. After graduating ...
By Francesco Medici All Rights Reserved © Copyright Francesco Medici 2024 José Mereb (Yūsuf Mir‘ib) was a Lebanese writer who immigrated to ...
by Francesco Medici all rights reserved Francesco Medici Copyright 2024 © The Ottoman Empire entered World War I as one of the Central Powers (together with the German and the Austro-Hungarian Empires) with a surprise attack on Russia’s Black Sea coast on October 29, 1914, which prompted Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918) and his allies of the Entente – Great Britain and France – to declare war on the Sublime Porte in November. Allied forces blockaded the Eastern Mediterranean coastal ports in order to strangle the economy and weaken the Ottoman war effort. In response to that, Djemal Pasha (Ahmet Cemâl Paşa, 1872-1922), commander of the Turkish Fourth Army and Governor of Syria, convinced that an uprising among local Arabs – of Christian faith, in particular – was...
by Francesco Medici and Glen Kalem-Habib all rights reserved © copyright 2024 Francesco Medici and Glen Kalem-Habib Kahlil Gibran’s departure from this world on April 10, 1931, marked the end of an era, leaving behind a profound void in the hearts of those who cherished his wisdom. Mikhail Naimy, a trusted confidant and friend, bore witness to Gibran’s final moments at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan. In his autobiography, Seventy, Naimy eloquently recounts the sombre yet transcendent atmosphe...
By Francesco Medici On August 12, 1918, Edgar B. Speer, a BOI (Bureau of Investigation)[1] special agent in the Pittsburgh office, sent to the New York office a telegram reproducing a notice from a certain Tremble, probably one of their informants or agents, who recommended his colleagues verify the following information through a search of the subject’s place: “Tremble advises from confidential sources [that] Kahlil Gibran, a Syrian alien with [an] art studio [on the] third floor, West 10 Street, has in his possession considerable mass peace propaganda—literature of Bolshevik type. [Tremble] suggests [a] search of [Gibran’s] effects may prove valuable.”
Reposted from The Liberum All rights reserved. © 2023 A remarkable discovery over the reading and the influence of Lebanese poet, writer, and artist Kahlil Gibran by the style of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Reading Nietzsche's posthumous essay “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense” (1969) in “Le livre du philosophe” (Aubier Flammarion, 1969_ triggered this new finding: “Are we all trapped in a bubble.” By
By Glen Kalem-Habib and Francesco Medici all rights reserved Glen Kalem-Habib copyright © 2023 As The Prophet celebrates its 100th year of publication this year, many will once again acknowledge its well-deserved accolades and records. However, the enigma surrounding its enduring popularity still persists, and even after a century of readership and publishing, we continue to uncover its secrets. This article was inspired by Francdesco Medici's earlier research, which led to the publication of the insightful article
On June 2, The Drawing Centre New York opened "A Greater Beauty: The Drawings of Kahlil Gibran" exhibit.This important exhibition features an exceptional collection of more than 100 drawings by the renowned Lebanese-American poet, artist, and writer Kahlil Gibran. This exhibition, which coincides with the historic 100th anniversary of Gibran's well-known work "The Prophet," gives a visceral voyage into the world of an incredible creative mind. Kahlil Gibran is well known for his poetry and prose, but his strong self-identification as a visual artist gives his artistic legacy even more depth. Along with his literary works, Gibran also created a wide range o...
"Aatini al-Nay wa-Ghanni" (Bring Me the Flute and Sing). Fairuz sings Gibran. By Francesco Medici all rights reserved © copyright 2023 Aatini al-Nay wa-Ghanni is among the greatest interrupted songs of any artist, and the 'artist' who needs no introduction in the Arab and wider world is Nouhad Haddad. Born on November 21, 1935, in Beirut, Haddad is the epitome of a Lebanese diva, affectionately referred to by her countrymen as "our ambassador to the stars." Globally, she's better known by her stage name, Fairuz, which translates to 'turquoise' in Arabic.
By Francesco Medici all rights reserved copyright © 2023 In the month of May 1903, Ameen Goryeb (Amīn al-Ġurayyib, 1880-1971), editor and owner of «al-Mohajer» (‘The Emigrant’), a daily Arabic newspaper published in New York, visited the city of Boston. Among the people who received him was the young Kahlil Gibran (Ǧubrān Ḫalīl Ǧubrān, 1883-1931), who captured the journalist’s regard with his kind manner and intelligence. The following day, Gibran invited Ameen to his home. He showed him his paintings and presented him with an old notebook in which he had set down his thoughts and meditations. When Ameen saw the paintings and read the poems in the notebook, he realized he had discovered a genius artist, poet, an...
In Search of a Prophet: A Spiritual Journey with Kahlil Gibran Author: Paul-Gordon Chandler
Event News: For the first time in history Kahlil Gibran's life and work will be on exhbit for a short time only at the UN headquarters. In collaboration with the University of Balamand in Lebanon, The National Committee, the Museum of Gibran in Lebanon, and The World Lebanese Cultural Union-US Council, the Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations Headquarters is hosting this extraordinary event. Event details: Date: ...
By Francesco Medici copyright all rights reserved © 2023 The famed Abbasid-era poet Abu al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi (915-965), who is today recognised as the most significant and influential in the Arabic language, had some of his Rub'ayyat (Quatrains) translated into English, and they first appeared in «The Syrian World»1 in 1931. Amin Georges Beder, the translator (1876–1955), was a merchant of Lebanese descent who had fled ...
