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Gibran : Love Letters - Kahlil Gibran Reviews

Poetic Life..
Nov 20, 2004 08:11 AM 4107 Views

All things in this creation exist within you, and all things in you exist in creation; there is no border between you and the closest things, and there is no distance between you and the farthest things, and all things, from the lowest to the loftiest, from the smallest to the greatest, are within you as equal things. In one atom are found all the elements of the earth; in one motion of the mind are found the motions of all the laws of existence; in one drop of water are found the secrets of all the endless oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of existence.


- Kahlil Gibran


Strictly speaking, this review does not deal with the Book ''Love Letter'' alone. But here I would, like to throw some light on the life and works of the astople of eminency KHALIL GIBRAN


Born in Lebanon, but a resident of the United States of America for most of his adult life, Kahlil Gibran holds a unique place among modern writers, inasmuch as he wrote well in both English and Arabic and was widely acclaimed in both cultures. Sitting astride two worlds, Gibran created his own unique literary style, one that has won fans in every generation since.


Born in the small Lebanese village of Bisharri in 1883, the son of an alcoholic tax collector, Gibran was brought with his two sisters to America by his mother in 1895 at the age of 12. Although poor and living in a Boston ghetto, his talent for drawing attracted the attention of some of the city's intellectuals, who introduced him to a circle of established artists and writers, including the painter Lilla Cabot and the poet Louise Guiney.


At age 15, longing to better understand his heritage, Gibran returned to Lebanon, where he enrolled at the Maronite college of Madrasat-al-Hikmah, then perhaps the foremost Christian secondary school in the Arab world. ''This land of mystic beauty became his solace, his source of imagination, and in later years his object of yearning. After four years, he returned to Boston, to face there in short succession the deaths of one of his sisters, his half-brother and his beloved mother, all of who succumbed to poverty-induced illnesses.


Overcoming the impact of these tragedies, Gibran reentered the intellectual and artistic circles of Boston, and he soon found a patron in Mary Elizabeth Haskell, the headmistress of a girls' school who became a financial, intellectual and emotional support to Gibran for much of his life.


Until his untimely death in 1931, at the age of 48, from ''cirrhosis of the liver and incipient tuberculosis,'' the rest of Gibran's life was something of a Bohemian whirl. He spent time in Paris and again visited Lebanon but ultimately settled in New York. He never married but, it is clear, had a series of intense love affairs - one of which was carried on wholly by mail. He often existed almost wholly on ''strong coffee and cigarettes,'' working long into the night on his writing or artwork. He suffered almost continually from poor health and yet soared upon the spiritual visions of his own inner Muse.


Along the way, Gibran met some of the greatest men and women of his time. Among the writers that touched him greatly were Freidrich Nietzsche and William Blake. Such meetings - whether in person or on paper - refined Gibran's own thinking and direction. When combined with his life experiences, these influences helped shape the singular voice that marked his work, which comprises hundreds of essays, poems, drawings and paintings.



This collection of letters, the first ever to appear in English, reveals the eloquence and beauty of Gibran's writing in a form and style that is profoundly personal and emotionally evocative.


Like any collection of letters by an author, ''Love Letters'' offers the reader an insight into Kahlil Gibran's private life. As letters, these were obviously never meant for publication, though the quality and subtlety of the language is remarkable. As such, Gibran's voice is even more intimate than usual. Any fan of his work will revel in this feeling of a shared confidence.


The letters range in scope from daily activities to artistic pursuits and interests, and have more of a feeling of intense partnership than romantic love. Arranged and titled simply by their date, one can watch, to some extent, the relationship between Gibran and Ziadah grow and deepen. This edition is beautifully presented, with appropriate biographical notes and a revealing introduction.


While I would not recommend this as a person's first encounter with Gibran, it is certainly a worthwhile follow-up.



Pleasant Prairie usa
''Accidental'' discovery
Sep 22, 2004 09:30 AM 2288 Views

After finding some quotes on-line about a book of letters between Kahlil Gibran and Mary Hackett, I became interested in the man behind ''The Prophet.'' I searched many used bookstores. I found that I was always walking away empty handed.


Finally, while visiting one of the large chains, I decided to ask a clerk. She was confused at first, she never heard of Gibran, but she stated that she found it and I told her to order it.


Within days, I got the call and hurried to the store, only to be disappointed that this was not the book that I truly wanted. I took it anyways.


Well! My accidental discovery was exactly what I needed. The Love that Gibran’s letters describes, is the Love we all search for. It is the Love that the magazines try vainly to sell to us.


It lead me on a summer’s quest for Love. It started by “accident” in a bookstore and was discovered on a mist covered shore on a chilly August morn.


Letters for keeps
Jun 29, 2002 11:23 PM 4617 Views

Khalil Gibran was born in 1883. He was not just a poet, but also a philosopher, an artist, a dreamer.


His fame and influence spread far beyond his native Lebanon.


He is widely recognised as the author of the Prophet.


His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages. His drawings and paintings have been exhibited in the great capitals of the world.


May Ziadah was one of the foremost writers of Arabic literature in this century: her correspondence with author Khalil Gibran led to love and reflections on life which are presented via their letters and documented in this book.


Following are some excerpts from the book.


''A man can be free without being great, but no man can be great without being free.''


''Sometimes you have not even begun to speak - and I am at the end of what you are saying.''


''I care about your happiness just as you care about mine. I could not be at peace if you were not.''


''What-to-Love is a fundamental human problem. And if we have this solution - Love what may be - we see that this is the way Reality loves - and that there is no other loving that lasts or understands.''


''I am so happy in your happiness. To you happiness is a form of freedom, and of all the people I know you should be the freest. Surely you have earned this happiness and this freedom. Life cannot be but kind and sweet to you. You have been so sweet and kind to life.''


''Marriage doesn’t give one any rights in another person except such rights that a person gives - nor any freedom except the freedom which that person gives.''


''Among intelligent people the surest basis for marriage is friendship - the sharing of real interests- the ability to fight out ideas together and understand each other’s thoughts and dreams.''


''I realized that all the trouble I ever had about you came from some smallness or fear in myself.''


''Follow your heart. Your heart is the right guide in everything big. Mine is so limited. What you want to do is determined by that divine element that is in each of us.''


''The relation between you and me is the most beautiful thing in my life. It is the most wonderful thing that I have known in any life. It is eternal.''


''An expression of that sacred desire to find this world and behold it naked; and that is the soul of the poetry of Life. Poets are not merely those who write poetry, but those whose hearts are full of the spirit of life.''


''You listen to so much more than I can say. You hear consciousness. You go with me where the words I say can’t carry you.''


Infinite words of wisdom from the man who knew it all. Gibran's writing gives one solace in times of sadness and happiness.


His readings help you reflect inside yourself and in turn help you be a better person or at least a more aware person.


Gibran's writings are eternal just like his wisdom.


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