A Self-Portrait

by Kahlil Gibran, Anthony Rizcallah Ferris (Translator)

The letters in this book were written by Kahlil Gibran between 1904 and 1930. They form a true self-portrait of the poet in the time of his greatest artistic productivity. These are Gibran's Boston and New York years, with an interlude in Paris, during which he studied under the sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Genres: Nonfiction, Classics, Biography, Philosophy

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Kahlil Gibran (Arabic: جبران خليل جبران ) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer.
Born in the town of Bsharri in modern-day Lebanon (then part of Ottoman Mount Lebanon), as a young man he emigrated with his family to the United States where he studied art and began his literary career. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature, especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero.
He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again, especially in the 1960s counterculture.
Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu.

Reviews

[Alaa Said]

Made me feel one step closer to Gibran

[Krizzia Demetilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This copy I have might have been published when ISBN was not yet existent. Nonetheless, I am very thankful to have found this book. Kahlil Gibran, indeed, is my soulmate, if I may be allowed to say. We have the same dreams and visions that make me understand the language of my soul.

[Toni Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of Kahlil Gibran’s letters to and from his family and friends. In them is captured some beautifully depicted word images and affectionate embraces.

However, he frequently seems restless and unsettled. He hates New York, and he makes numerous references to how much he not only hates America, but also Americans. So, that was not endearing.

Eventually after suffering through illness several times (he brags about smoking a thousand cigarettes a day, even though that was an exaggeration), he dies before completing his last book.

The letters were for the most part beautifully written and worth the read. 4 stars

[Rebecca Stonehill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful epistolary reading which provides a wonderful insight into the life and mind of Kahlil Gibran.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly only bought this book because of its cover. I couldn’t find much about the book online (the cover also didn’t have a synopsis or anything) so I just hoped it was good lol.
The book is a chronological collection of letters from and to Khalil Gibran and his friends and loved ones.

I didn’t know this writer beforehand, although he is pretty famous, and I think that made this particular book more boring. Because I didn’t know anything about him, I was just reading a random person’s letters (with occasionally a few lines of context). I have a few remakes on those letters:
- I’m confused about why he talks in the third person sometimes to refer to himself (by his last name)?
- He is either romantically involved with a lot of men who he names friends or he is just very poetic and very in touch with his emotions and he is not scarred to show them;
- The letters show his struggles with his devotion (addiction even) to work, his migration experience from Lebanon to the US, and his sickness;
- He can write very beautifully with great metaphors;

Overall, the book was okay and I guess fun to annotate (although I think I gaslighted myself into thinking that because of the cover and because it’s only 64 pages long) but I wouldn’t recommend this book to others, except maybe for people who already know (and love) Gibran

[Ahmed Hasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kahlil Gibran, also famously known as "The Poet of Lebanon", was an early 20th century Lebanese writer, poet and visual artist. Some of his most ground-breaking works include "The Prophet", "The Madman" and "Jesus, the Son of Man" with the "The Prophet" going on to be among the top ten most translated books in history.

Over the course of his brief yet illustrious literary career, Gibran published his works in several Arabic magazines and editorials active in the United States, himself being a US citizen for most of his life, and also presided over Arrabitah, a literary circle consisting of some of the Arab world's most influential artists. "Kahlil Gibran- A Self Portrait" is a collection of some of Gibran's letters and correspondences with compatriots, acquaintances and family.

Gibran's letters paint a picture of a drowning man who never fails to admire the pristine elegance of the sea around him. He is forever troubled by the ignorance and numbness of the boisterous Boston crowd and longs for the valleys and hills of Lebanon- his home city that he would only go on to briefly revisit during his lifetime. Yet he cherished this innate melancholy, this looming longing- letting it propel him to create masterful pieces of art and prose, as he so beautifully puts forth in an intimate letter to his cousin Nakhli;

"I do not let one single phantom disappear with the cloud, and it is my ever-lasting remembrance of the past that causes my sorrow sometimes. But if I had to choose between joy and sorrow, I would not exchange the sorrows of my heart for the joys of the whole world."

Gibran's letters to two people in particular are the most profound; to Mikhail Naimy, a compatriot and famous Lebanese writer and to May Ziadeh, another Lebanese writer and Gibran's literary friend. Gibran's correspondences with the former indicate his literary struggle and his thoughts and opinions on the works of key Arabic writers of the time. His exchanges with May Ziadeh, on the other hand, are some of the most beautiful sequences of conversations I have ever read. Ziadeh and Gibran never met during their lives yet it was Ziadeh's criticism and opinions regarding his published works that Gibran revered the most.

In a touching letter to Ziadeh, Gibran passionately talks of the loneliness and ostracism he faced as a writer and thinker;

"...You say that I am an artist and poet. I am neither an artist, May, nor a poet. I have spent my days writing and painting, but I am not in accord with my days and my nights. I am a cloud, May- a cloud that mingles with objects, but never becomes united with them. I am a cloud, and in the cloud is my solitude, my loneliness, my hunger, and my thirst. But my calamity is that the cloud, which is my reality, longs to hear someone say "You are not alone in this world but we are two together, and I know who you are."

...Tell me, May, is there any other person over there capable of and willing to say to me, "I am another cloud; O, cloud, let us spread ourselves over the mountains and in the valleys: let us walk between and above the trees, let us cover the high rocks, let us penetrate the heart of the human race, let us roam the unknown and the fortified distant places." Tell me, May, is there anyone who is capable of and willing to say at least one of these words?"

"Kahlil Gibran- A Self Portrait" is a reflection of the thoughts, personality and developments of one of the Arab world's leading literaries. It has instilled within me a feverish anticipation to read Gibran's most famous work- "The Prophet" and to learn more about his distinct personality and ideals.

[Iqra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The letters in this book were written by Kahlil Gibran between 1904 and 1930. They form a true self-portrait of the poet in the time of his greatest artistic productivity. These are Gibran's Boston and New York years, with an interlude in Paris, during which he studied under the sculptor Auguste Rodin.

[Ren Tabilon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, Kahlil has become one of my favorite writers. What a privilege it is to read his letters, which I would argue are truly poetry. He writes from a profound understanding of the human experience. Reading this book made me feel so close to him. You are my brother until the very end. I cannot wait to read more of his work.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prose poetry employed by Gibran in his letters makes them an engrossing read. Whether corresponding with fellow poets or simply responding to his father and sister's inquiry, Kahlil never fails to put his metaphorical mind to action.

[Tim Nason · Rating 3 out of 5]

4⭐️ Brief book with a selection of 49 letters written between 1904 and 1930 in Boston and New York, forming a sketch of Khalil Gibran rather than a portrait. The book encourages me to learn more about Gibran and his writing.

[antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

me encantó. lo leí sin tener una idea clara de poeta y sin nunca haber leído alguna obra suya. lo disfruté mucho y disfruté saber que lo que leía jamás fue escrito con la intención de ser juzgado y aún así fue bastante bello.

[Qais Faqiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

[Persephone Abbott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between the sandwich filling of mundane tasks, the starchy ether of odds and ends.
"The soul, May, does not see anything in life save that which is the soul itself."

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burn during the early years, but the last half really takes off dropping the wisdom bombs. Enjoyed learning about ones of my favorite author's life.

[shaima · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars kinda boring but im nosy so i finished the book obvs!

[Scott Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book consists of letters written by one of my favorite poets and philosophers. The translation of the letters in this volume was not able to rob them of the poetry which Gibran has become best know for. I spent a day in this book and find myself ripped away from it by the blank page at the end.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a nice little collection of letters that Gibran wrote to close friends which opens the doors to seeing into his passions, motivations and goals in life. It also reveals his incredible health challenges and how he learned from them and came to cherish what suffering can teach us.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of letters written by Gibran covering approximately 25 years of his life. It was fascinating to read his thought processes concerning his work, friends, health, etc. The letters reflect his maturing as well as his declining health.

[Janice Raquela · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful exchange

[Whoof]

beautiful soul