Sand and Foam: A Book of Aphorisms - Couverture rigide

Gibran, Kahlil

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0394443691 ISBN 13 : 9780394443690

Editeur : Alfred A. Knopf, 1926

Synopsis

Book by Gibran Kahlil

A propos du livre

Biographie de l'auteur

Kahlil Gibran was born in Northern Lebanon on January 6th 1883. His mother, Kamila, came from a very religious background and he and his older half-brother and two younger sisters were brought up as Marmonite Christians. A local priest taught Kahlil Biblical lessons and, noticing that the young boy was bright and inquisitive, also taught him the basics of various other subjects such as writing, reading, history and science. In his own time Kahlil indulged in the arts and would sketch and draw the beautiful surroundings of the mountainous region the Gibrans lived in.
When Kahlil was eight years old his father was arrested for tax evasion after leading the family into poverty and Kamila decided that the family should relocate to the USA, following in the footsteps of Kahlil's uncle who had moved to America a few years earlier. His father was released from prison a year before the family left but he elected to stay in Lebanon.
The family settled in Boston's Syrian neighbourhood and Kamila worked as a seamstress and peddler, selling fabrics from door to door. Only two months after arriving Kahlil was already in school and although he didn't speak English the teachers were quick to take notice of his talent as an artist and introduced him to local photographer/artist/publisher Fred Holland Day who helped Kahlil to further his artistic endeavours.
Through the Holland Day connection Kahlil became a well-known artist at a young age in Boston but his mother felt that it was all too much too soon and he returned to Lebanon to complete his education. He stayed there for 4 years but during this period his mother, half-brother and sister all developed serious illnesses back in the USA and so Kahlil returned to America to help his family.
When he arrived he discovered that his sister had already died and his mother and half brother would follow too not long after. Kahlil sold the family business and began to concentrate on his art and in 1904 had his first exhibition which was a critical success. At the exhibition he met Mary Haskell, a school teacher who would end up financing his burgeoning career. As well as drawing he was also developing his writing abilities and would spend much of his time translating his Arabic writing into English. Mary Haskell convinced him to write in English and also helped him with language, grammar, editing and various other important literary factors that contributed to his growth as a writer.
His first written work was published that same year in an immigrant newspaper. His first book, written in Arabic, came out the following year and was followed by more books and articles. In 1918 his first book written in English, `The Madman', was published. In the book he discusses freedom, spirituality, God and justice taken from the viewpoint of a `madman'. The book was a critical success and although it only sold modestly his reputation began to grow and he began to move in new literary circles. Two years later his second book written in English, `The Forerunner', was published in which he continued to concentrate on the expansive themes he had explored in `The Madman'.
Both of these books set the stage for what was to become Kahlil's masterpiece, `The Prophet', which was published in 1923. In the book a prophet is making his journey home after living away for many years and on his way to board the ship he stops and discusses many moral and spiritual matters with a group of people. There are 26 essays in the poetry/prose style that was so effective in Gibran's hands and the book has gone on to sell millions of copies in over 20 different languages. It has never been out of print, being a particular favourite of the 1960s counter-culture scene.

Gibran followed `The Prophet' with `Sand And Foam' in 1926 which also caught the imagination of people in the Sixties, most notably John Lennon who borrowed

Présentation de l'éditeur

Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) was a Lebanese American of Assyrian descent, an artist, poet and writer. He was born Gibran Khalil Gibran in Lebanon (at the time a Syrian Province of the Ottoman Empire) and spent much of his productive life in the United States. While most of Gibran's early writings were in Syriac and Arabic, most of his work published after 1918 was in English. Gibran also took part in the New York Pen League, also known as the "immigrant poets" (al-mahjar), alongside other important Lebanese American authors such as Ameen Rihani ("the father of Lebanese American literature"), Mikhail Naimy and Elia Abu Madi. Gibran's best-known work is The Prophet, a book composed of 26 poetic essays, first written in English in 1923. The Prophet remains famous to this day, having been translated into more than 20 languages. Other works in English include: Spirits Rebellious, (1908), The Broken Wings (1912), A Tear and a Smile (1914), The Forerunner (1920), Sand and Foam (1926), Jesus the Son of Man (1928), The Earth Gods (1929), The Wanderer (1932) and The Garden of the Prophet (1933).

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Alfred A. Knopf
• Date d'édition: 1926
• ISBN 10: 0394443691
• ISBN 13: 9780394443690
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 85