The Conception Of Spirituality In Khalil Gibran's Works

The Lebanese American Writer Khalil/Kahlil Gibran, who contributed to both Arabic and English literature, was a literary artist, philosopher, poet, and writer. His masterpiece, The Prophet first published in 1923, was acclaimed worldwide. Having been translated into more than twenty languages the book quenched the thirst for knowledge of millions of the knowledge seekers of the world. This book composed of 26 poetic essays with 26 themes in it. This, the author's magnum opus, became especially popular during the 1960s with the American counterculture and New Age movements. Since it, The Prophet has never been out of print and remains world-renowned to this day. The book was the bestselling book of the twentieth century in the United States, second only to the Bible. Gibran's thought provoking sayings in this outstanding piece of literature make us think about our life afresh. He strove to resolve cultural and human conflicts transcending the barriers of East and West as few have done before. He became not only Gibran of Lebanon, but Gibran of America, indeed Gibran the voice of global consciousness:a voice which increasingly demands to be heard in the continuing Age of Anxiety.Gibran Khalil Gibran was born in a Christian family in Lebanon. He made himself a great author and poet by his interest and talent in literature. The comparison between the cultures of West and East in Gibran's mind caused a great change in his perspective upon life. Although the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's thought had great effect on him he acted independently on religion in world analysis.This thesis draws a short biographical sketch of Gibran, deals with some inherent quality of the writings of Gibran and elucidates in detail his The Prophet so that the readers can have a glimpse of the great writer Kahlil Gibran.The first chapter discusses the spiritual values in Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, in which his unique poetic expressions, characterized by beauty and spirituality, became known as "Gibranism." His language touches the inner souls of the readers so much that it has made him widely acclaimed as the greatest of Arab spiritualists.In addition, the philosophical and social background of Gibran's writing was discussed in the first chapter. According to my research, the roots of spiritual tendency of Gibran stems from his mother who bequeathed 90% of her morals and tendencies to Gibran. Gibran in his works tends to express his spiritual views in two terms of dichotomies; city vs. country; society and law vs. nature and love. The thesis also analyzes how we can get the valuable spiritual lessons for Better Life from The Prophet. Gibran's religious thoughts in The Prophet are also discussed in this chapter.The second chapter mainly deals with Gibran's other works, which contain Gibran's thoughts on philosophy, society and spirituality. The thesis gives detailed discussion on Gibran's ideas of the relationship between philosophy and spirituality, spirituality and sociality. Gibran has successfully constructed a balance between Spirituality and Rationality in his works.The third chapter lays emphasis on Gibran's cultural influence on western society and his contributions to Arabic and English literature. The thesis also studies Gibran's philosophical influence on western rationality and eastern mysticism and how he, as a giant standing on the bridge between the West and East, has became not only Gibran of Lebanon, but Gibran of America.Although some of Gibran's works have been translated into Chinese, Gibran Study in China so far is comparatively rare. Therefore, as one of his compatriots, the author of this thesis hopes this research can make some contribution to it and can arouse more interest in Gibran's works among Chinese readers.