Kahlil Gibran,
The Prophet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008 (original date: 1923). ISBN: 9780394404288.
Genre: poetry
Subgenre: mysticism
Format: paperback
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library
This is one of those books you see in every other fancy list of books you should read. When I found a copy in the public library's returns shelf, I saw it was pretty short, so I took a chance and picked it up. If nothing else, I can now say that I have read it.
To be honest, I do not see the big deal many people see in this book. Yes, it can be very poetic. The book is basically a series of poems where the Prophet speaks on various topics to answer questions from people he meets. Topics include:
- On love
- On marriage
- On houses
- On laws
- On time
The book can be a nice reading that invites reflection. However, it can also be seriously preachy, like reading a religious sermon at times. It seems more like a sermon on morality, and not in a good way. In fact, it reminded me at times of other overly moralistic religious texts. Certainly not what I expected given how highly some people rate this book.
In the end, I thought it was just OK. As I said, if nothing else, I can now say I read it.
2 out of 5 stars.
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