Resumen
Resumen de The Prophet
Para quién es
For readers who love short, reflective writing on love, work, family and grief, and anyone who enjoys a book to return to in small pieces.
De qué trata este libro
The Prophet is a short book of prose poems by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-born writer and painter who lived much of his life in the United States. It appeared in 1923 and was the first of his books written in English to reach a wide audience. It is built from twenty-six short sermons, each on one part of ordinary life, such as love, work, pain, freedom and death.
The frame is simple. A man named Almustafa has lived for twelve years in the city of Orphalese and now waits for a ship to carry him home. Before he goes, the townspeople gather and ask him to speak. In reply he gives his thoughts on how to live. You will get calm, image-rich advice that works as well read in one sitting as in single pages. The first key point is how the book sets its scene and why it takes the shape of a farewell.
En este resumen
- 1A Wise Man Is Asked to SpeakFree
- 2Love Asks Everything and Leaves Room
- 3Give Freely and Work With Love
- 4Joy and Sorrow Grow From One Root
- 5Judge Gently and Guard Real Freedom
- 6Beauty, Prayer and Death Close the Book
Idea clave 1 de 6
A Wise Man Is Asked to Speak
The book opens in the port city of Orphalese. Almustafa, called the chosen and the beloved, has lived there for twelve years while waiting for his ship. When it appears on the horizon, he feels joy at going home but also sadness at leaving the people who have become his neighbours.
A seeress named Almitra speaks for the crowd. She asks him not to leave them before he has told them what he knows. She wants him to share the truth he has seen, and the people echo her wish. This sets up the pattern of the whole book, in which someone asks a question and Almustafa answers.
Each answer is a short prose poem. It has no plot and no argument in the usual sense. Instead it gives pictures, paired opposites and gentle commands. Gibran borrows the sound of the King James Bible, with its rhythm and its direct address, and this is why the book feels like scripture without belonging to any one religion.
The farewell frame matters. A person who is about to leave has no reason to flatter, and speaks plainly. Almustafa does not give rules. He keeps turning each subject around so that you see its other side, and he asks his listeners to trust their own hearts. That habit of mind is the key to everything that follows, starting with what he says about love.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about The Prophet
What is The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran about?
It is a book of twenty-six prose poems in which a wise man named Almustafa, about to sail home, answers the questions of a city's people on love, work, marriage, children, pain, freedom and death.
Who is Almustafa in The Prophet?
Almustafa is the central speaker, a prophet who has lived twelve years in the city of Orphalese. He is waiting for a ship home, and the people ask him to share his wisdom before he goes.
When was The Prophet written and is it a true story?
It was published in 1923. It is a work of imagination, not a true story, and the city of Orphalese and the figure of Almustafa were invented by Gibran.
Is The Prophet hard to read?
No. The language is simple.
What is the main message of The Prophet?
The book teaches that life's great forces, such as love, joy and pain, are bound together, and that people should live with care, freedom and compassion while trusting their own hearts.