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A sophomoric effort

Reader comment on item: Parodying Khalil Gibran
in response to reader comment: Alan Jacobs parody

Submitted by Stuart Denenberg (United States), Nov 27, 2007 at 17:33

...

Kahlil Gibran was the brilliant 15-year old illustrator of the cover of "Omar Khayyam," an artist worthy of the attention of Albert Pinkham Ryder, Edward Steichen and F. Holland Day (founder of the pictorialist school of American photography, publisher of "The Yellow Book" where one could read Oscar Wilde and view drawings by Aubrey Beardsley, ...) As part of the West Tenth Street Studio complex in New York, and an exhibiting fine artist, Gibran achieved a Leonardesque elegance in draughtsmanship, and was an American member of the Symbolist movement in European vogue at the time.

Gibran also transformed the Arabic language, much as Pushkin transformed Russian, bringing a wealth of philosophical and if you will, ‘spiritual,' content into quotidien Arabic, accessible Arabic, even as he was an organizing charismatic force behind the complex politics of Lebanese independence and International Pacifism.

Gibran was on the Editorial Board of "The Seven Arts," where one can find--if one bothers to look!-- Van Wyck Brooks, James Oppenheim, and Randolph Bourne, all admiring colleagues. He was a literary sophisticate of his era, influenced by early Boston transcendentalists such as Emerson and Thoreau. His late 19th--early 20th century orientation found natural, syncretic resonance in the majestic language of the Old and New Testament, as well as in the Koran, and took form in his masterpiece, "The Prophet," whose elegant and straightforward humanist arguments are the real thorn...

...a church rejected by Gibran for its hypocrisy, its doctrine consistently aligned with the business/money cabal and against the utter compassion manifest in Jesus's life. Recall another title by Gibran, "Jesus, Son of Man," and hear the still small voice that nobly attempted to subvert the mesmerism of the faithful herd and awaken the genius of the individual human being to the wonder of the universe, and to the richness of the wisdom of the heart.

If he is not James Joyce, nor Yeats, nor Eliot, it is because his path was far different, as Joyce is not Yeats, and Eliot is not Joyce....Gibran's language is authentic. ...

Submitting....

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Reader comments (20) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
I agree but dont say all this if you want to date a Lebanese woman [25 words]ShishirJan 10, 2022 13:45278088
1DEPARTMENT OF STATE [102 words]MANNY JAKELNov 17, 2007 11:43113922
To Wheaton's Would-be Wit [104 words]Alex Cumberbatch, RNov 9, 2007 10:30113511
those 70's weddings [55 words]ajfestOct 31, 2007 12:55112735
Off Track [81 words]Marc WeisburgOct 30, 2007 13:01112649
Farther A Field ... [15 words]OliverOct 30, 2007 22:36112649
Earth to Mr Weisburg: In order to capture hearts and minds, the Arab Muslims must have hearts & minds [49 words]James BurkeNov 10, 2007 19:13112649
"The Profit" by Kehlogg Albran parodied Gibran popular book [180 words]Ben van de PolderOct 30, 2007 10:12112628
Excellent Reference- What a good perspective. [9 words]YnnatchkahOct 31, 2007 18:57112628
By the way [118 words]Abu NudnikOct 29, 2007 12:22112560
Parody or not Parody? [86 words]Mike SmithOct 28, 2007 22:46112542
Alan Jacobs parody [147 words]Wayne Zimmerman, Sr.Oct 28, 2007 18:21112526
Poor Parody actually [113 words]Abu NudnikOct 29, 2007 12:17112526
A sophomoric effort [340 words]Stuart DenenbergNov 27, 2007 17:33112526
1The real issue with Khalil Gibran [62 words]Benyamin KornOct 28, 2007 10:24112505
Typical.. [172 words]DONVANNov 28, 2007 09:20112505
1Lying in the cause of Islam [190 words]PrashantJan 11, 2022 02:42112505
Everything old is new again [15 words]David W. LincolnOct 28, 2007 04:33112483
gibran's prophet is fine [57 words]Ari ZadeOct 28, 2007 00:50112477
Thanking [119 words]YnnatchkahOct 27, 2007 17:07112443

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