Gibran, Kahlil: The Prophet

Pennsylvania State, paperback

Publication Date: June 27, 2023

Publisher Marketing: A graphic novel adaptation of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, illustrating the story of an exile preparing to return to his home and sharing his thoughts on the human condition.

One of the best-known and most-translated works of free verse poetry ever published in the English language, The Prophet, by Lebanon-born Khalil Gibran, tells the story of the prophet Almustafa, who was banished from his homeland, and lived twelve years as a refugee in the fictional city of Orphalese. One day, as Almustafa prepares to board the ship that will take him home, he addresses a gathering of townspeople who have come to see him off.

His parting words of wisdom about the human condition reveal him to be a man who sees deeply into the hearts, minds, and souls and his fellow humans.

Illustrated by Justin Renteria in a 1920s Ottoman-inspired style and adapted by A. David Lewis, this is a vibrant, authentic, and skillfully paced graphic novel that is faithful to the original text. It includes an imagined backstory about the enigmatic main character.

Appearing 100 years after the original publication of Gibran's masterpiece, and at a time when entire groups of people are being forced to seek refuge elsewhere, this fresh and visually compelling rendering of The Prophet conveys the original work's bracing and inspirational message about what it means to live well in today's the world.