Jubran, Jebran, Gebran Jubran, Jebran, Gebran
artist novelist painter philosopher reformer writer poet
Born Jan. 6, 1883 in Bsherri, Lebanon, Gibran was brought to the United States in 1895. In 1904 he exhibited a series of drawings in Boston. Among the impressed was the wealthy Mary Haskett, who became his benefactress, editor, and lover. Gibran lived the rest of his life in New York, drawing, painting, and writing in both Arabic and English. He died there Apr. 10, 1931.
Gibran entered school on September 30, 1895, merely two months after his arrival to the U.S. Having no formal education, he was placed in an ungraded class reserved for immigrant children to learn English from scratch. With Kamila's hard work, the family's financial standing improved and her savings allowed Peter (Gibran's elder brother) to set up a goods store in which both of Gibran's sisters worked. Gibran's curiosity led him to the cultural side of Boston. He got exposed to the rich world of Theatre, Opera and artistic Galleries. Prodded by the cultural scenes around him and through his artistic drawings, Gibran caught the attention of his teachers at the public school. They saw an artistic future for the Lebanese boy and lead him to meet in 1896, Fred Holland Day, an artist and supporter of artists, who introduced him to Greek mythology, world literature, contemporary writings and photograph. Fred Holland Day kept on encouraging Gibran to improve his drawings and sketches, and got Gibran's images printed as cover designs for books in 1898. Concurrently, Gibran began to develop his own technique and style which led him to enter the Bostonian circles. Despite his artistic talents who brought him fame at an early age, Gibran's family decided, with Gibran's approval, to send the young artist back to Lebanon to finish his education and learn Arabic.
Back to Lebanon (1898 – 1902) In 1898, Gibran arrived to Beirut to enroll in CollegeLa Sagesse, a Maronite-founded school that offered a nationalistic curriculum partial to church writings, history and liturgy. As a student, Gibran left a great impression on his teachers and fellow students whom he impressed with his outlandish and individualistic behavior, self-confidence, and his unconventional long hair. His Arabic teacher saw in him "a loving but controlled heart, an impetuous soul, a rebellious mind, an eye mocking everything it sees."
Gibran immersed himself in Arabic literature – ancient and modern – he learned French and excelled in his studies, especially in poetry. Meanwhile, his relationship with his father became strained over Gibran's advanced erudition, driving him to move in with his cousin.
On July 1st, 1908, Gibran left Boston to head to Paris and study at the arts school. Upon his arrival, Gibran got fascinated by the French cultural scene and indulged his time examining paintings at various art museums and exhibitions. However, Gibran's travel to France revealed his lack of artistic training, a sore point which left him critical of his drawings. In truth, Gibran had earlier refused to receive a formal training, relying solely on his talents and feel for objects. But soon the academy's formal education alienated Gibran, who left the academy to pursue a freewheeling self-exploration of his art.
Gibran's literary career can be divided into two phases; during the first, 1905-1918, he wrote exclusively in Arabic. From 1918 until his death he wrote mainly in English, publishing eight books, two of them posthumously; The Madman (1918), The Forerunner (1920), The Prophet (1923), Sand and Foam (1926), Jesus the Son of Man (1928), The Earth Gods (1931), The Wanderer (1932), and The Garden of the Prophet (1933). Besides writing, painting, and drawing, he organized and led the Arab émigréemigre writers living in the United States. Under his leadership several periodicals were published, which influenced literary development in the Arab world.
Music (1905)
Nymphs of the Valley (1906)
Spirits Rebellious (1908)
Broken Wings (1912)
A Tear and a Smile (1914)
The Madman (1918)
The Processions (1919)
Twenty Drawings (1919)
The Tempests (1920)
The Forerunner (1920)
The Prophet (1923)
The New and the Marvelous (1923)
Sand and Foam (1926)
Jesus the Son of Man (1928)
The Earth Gods (1931)
The Wanderer (1932) Posthumous publication
The Garden of the Prophet (1933) Posthumous publication
Contemplation de Soi dans L'eau
Contemplation Sereine
Danse et Rythm
Decouverte des Secrets de la Nature
Deux Croix
Don de Soi dans l'Amoure Inné
Enlencement et Refu
Etre en Solitude
Etude du Trone de Femme Mi -Cuisse
l_Errant The Wanderer
La famille de l'artiste
La Femme Découvre la Nature
La Naissance d'une Tragédie
Laisse-Moi Aller
L'Aurore
L'automne
Le Lanceur
Les 3 Venus Retournant à la Nature
Les Trois Etapes de l'etre
L'Esprit Materel Consolateur
L'Etre Abattu
Murmure du Silence
Much of Gibran's writings deal with Christianity, especially on the topic of spiritual love. But his mysticism is a convergence of several different influences : Christianity, Islam, Sufism, Hinduism and theosophy. He wrote : "You are my brother and I love you. I love you when you prostrate yourself in your mosque, and kneel in your church and pray in your synagogue. You and I are sons of one faith - the Spirit." Juliet Thompson, one of Gibran's acquaintances, reported several anecdotes relating to Gibran: She recalls Gibran met `Abdu'l-Bahá, the leader of the Bahá’í Faith at the time of his visit to the United States, circa 1911–1912. Barbara Young, in "This Man from Lebanon: A Study of Khalil Gibran", records Gibran was unable to sleep the night before meeting `Abdu'l-Bahá who sat for a pair of portraits. Thompson reports Gibran saying that all the way through writing of "Jesus, The Son of Man", he thought of `Abdu'l-Bahá. Years later, after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, there was a viewing of the movie recording of `Abdu'l-Bahá – Gibran rose to talk and in tears, proclaimed an exalted station of `Abdu'l-Bahá and left the event weeping.
Gibran was by no means a politician. He used to say : "I am not a politician, nor do I wish to become one" and "Spare me the political events and power struggles, as the whole earth is my homeland and all men are my fellow countrymen". Gibran called for the adoption of Arabic as a national language of Syria, considered from a geographic point of view, not as a political entity. When Gibran met `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1911–12, who traveled to the United States partly to promote peace, Gibran admired the teachings on peace but argued that "young nations like his own" be freed from Ottoman control. Gibran also wrote the famous "Pity The Nation" poem during these years which was posthumously published in The Garden of the Prophet.
When the Ottomans were finally driven out of Syria during World War I, Gibran's exhilaration was manifested in a sketch called "Free Syria" which appeared on the front page of al-Sa'ih's special "victory" edition. Moreover, in a draft of a play, still kept among his papers, Gibran expressed great hope for national independence and progress. This play, according to Khalil Hawi, "defines Gibran's belief in Syrian nationalism with great clarity, distinguishing it from both Lebanese and Arab nationalism, and showing us that nationalism lived in his mind, even at this late stage, side by side with internationalism."
Gibran Khalil Gibran Quotes (1883 – 1931)
You give but little when you give of your possessions.It is when you give of yourself that you truly give
Friendship, Gibran Khalil Gibran
A shy failure is nobler than an immodest success
Overcoming Failure, Gibran Khalil Gibran
The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose
Optimism, Gibran Khalil Gibran
Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be
Insight, Gibran Khalil Gibran
Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children
Success, Gibran Khalil Gibran
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love buy only with distaste it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take aims of those who work with joy
Success, Gibran Khalil Gibran
And think not you can guide the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, shall guide your course
Love, Gibran Khalil Gibran
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; for love is sufficient unto love
Love, Gibran Khalil Gibran
All that spirits desire, spirits attain
Spirituality, Gibran Khalil Gibran
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror
Beauty, Gibran Khalil Gibran
I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no end
Spirituality, Gibran Khalil Gibran
I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit
Religion, Gibran Khalil Gibran
Say not, "I have found the truth", but rather, "I have found a truth"
Truth, Gibran Khalil Gibran
We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
Spirituality, Gibran Khalil Gibran
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They came through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
Life, Gibran Khalil Gibran
You are far greater than you know, and all is well.
Spirituality, Gibran Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran died in June 1909, the father – whose name the child inherited – was a tax collector in Bsharri. A strong, sturdy man with fair skin and blue eyes; and despite his basic education, he was a man of considerable charm. Although he owned a walnut grove in his village, his meager income was soon wasted over gambling and alcohol. He was known to be "one of the strongest men" in Bsharri and everyone feared him, including his wife and kids. Later on in his life, his son Gibran expressed his feelings towards him, while moderating the harsh reality of this autocratic relationship and the son said:
"I admired him for his power, his honesty and integrity. It was his daring to be himself, his outspokenness and refusal to yield that got him into trouble eventually. If hundreds were about him, he could command them with a word. He could overpower any number by any expression of himself."
Kamila Rahmeh, the daughter of a Maronite clergyman, was described as a thin graceful woman with a slight pallor in her cheeks and a shade of melancholy in her eyes. She had a beautiful singing voice and was a devoutly religious person. When she reached a marriageable age, Kamila was given to her cousin Hanna Abed Al Salaam Rahmeh, but like many Lebanese of his time, Hanna immigrated to Brazil seeking fortune, and died there leaving a widow and a son, Boutros (Peter). Sometime after his death, the young Kamila remarried to Khalil Gibran, giving birth to a son and two daughters: Gibran, Marianna and Sultana. In contrast to her husband, Kamila was an indulgent and loving parent. She had ambitions for her children, and despite her informal education, she possessed an intelligence and wisdom that had an enormous influence on her son Gibran. Fluent in Arabic and French, artistic and musical, Kamila ignited Gibran's imagination with the folk tales and legends of Lebanon as well as other stories from the Bible. Her spiritual nature and the mystical Maronites ceremonies she attended with her children had also a big impact on Gibran's life and work.
Amidst intrigue and corruption, the father found himself facing charges of embezzlement. Although Kamila tried to clear his name, her husband was found guilty and all his property was confiscated. Like many before her, Kamila had to make a stark choice: either to endure a life of increasing poverty, or to embark on an arduous journey to the U.S. to seek a better life for her children. On June 25, 1895, the strong-willed mother embarked with her four children on a voyage to the American shores of New York, leaving the father behind in Lebanon.
She died on June 28, 1902 leaving Gibran alone with his sister Mariana, mourning the dead and irremediably sad, after Sultana and Peter died.
He returned from Cuba to Boston fatally sick, only to die days later on March 12, 1902
Sultana died at the age of fourteen in April 4, 1902, and was the first in a series of three family deaths of tuberculosis within few months. The sickness and operation of Gibran's mother forced him to take over the family business (the goods store) abandoned by his half-brother Peter, now pursuing his fortune in Cuba.
Born in 1885
Mary Haskell and Gibran became acquainted through photographer Frederick Holland Day in Boston, at Gibran's first art exhibition in 1904, Gibran said about her: "A remarkable face... You know that I find beauty in you. You know I use your face again and again in my drawings, not an exact likeness, but you... you have the face I want to paint and draw the eyes with their ins and outs all around them. It is the face I can say things with."
Mary's early recognition and support to Gibran, especially her encouragement to write in English, her editorial support and her financial backing for his study trip to Paris and studio in New York City, gave Gibran the opportunity and freedom to focus on his creative work. He trusted her to fulfill "(his) wish that they [his art] shall become eventually the property of the public in a museum – and that they shall be kept together as far as possible…"
After Gibran's death in 1931, Mary both directly and indirectly placed Gibran's art in numerous public collections including The Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge-Massachusetts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Newark Museum in Newark-New Jersey. She also donated the majority of Gibran's artwork, left in his studio at the time of his death, to his hometown of Bsharri in Lebanon. Her donation made possible the establishment of the Gibran Museum, today the world's largest public collection of his artwork.
Mary Haskell, who was thirty at the time, and ten years older than Gibran, will go on financing Gibran's artistic development, encouraging him to become the artist that he aspired to be. As a school head mistress, Haskell was an educated, strong-willed and independent woman, as well as an active champion of women's liberation. Mary was the reason behind Gibran's decision to explore writing in English as she persuaded him to refrain from translating his Arabic works to English and concentrate instead on writing in English directly. Mary's collaboration polished Gibran's English work, while most of them underwent her editing before going to the publishers. She would spend hours with Gibran, going over his wording, correcting his mistakes and suggesting new ideas to his writings. She even attempted learning Arabic to gain a better grasp of Gibran's language and thoughts.
Josephine Peabody, a young Bostonian poet and intellectual, who slowly captured Gibran's heart, became an inflectional person in his life; her care and attention helped him ease his pain as well as advance in his career.
