The Prophet

In The Prophet, Khalil Gibran offers a shorts work first published in 1923. When the prophet Almustafa prepares to leave the city of Orphalese after twelve years, the people gather to hear his farewell wisdom. He speaks on fundamental aspects of human existence, love, marriage, children, work, freedom, joy, sorrow, death, and more. This spiritual guide has become one of the most translated and bestselling books of all time, never going out of print since its original publication. Themes of Mysticism and Prose poems, American give the work a clear emotional and intellectual center. The reading experience is shaped by a concentrated form in which tone, image, and implication do unusual amounts of work. At roughly 12,359 words with a fairly easy reading profile, it offers a reading commitment that is easy to judge before beginning while still leaving room for close attention. The work remains relevant through the discipline and variety of short-form storytelling. Its strongest appeal lies in the meeting of Mysticism and Prose poems, American and concentrated form in which tone, image, and implication do unusual amounts of work, giving the book both immediate character and lasting interest.