(Arabic name, Jubran Khalil Jubran). Born Dec. 6, 1883, in the village of Bsharri, Lebanon; died in 1931, in New York. Lebanese author and artist.

In 1895, Gibran’s family emigrated to Paris, and later to the United States. His first collections of stories, Nymphs of the Valley and Spirits Rebellious, deal with the life of Lebanese Arabs. In the novella Broken Wings (1912) Gibran defended the right of women to love. He criticized the prejudices and feudal tenor of life in the collection of stories The Storms (1920). The collection of songs entitled A Tear and a Smile (1914) celebrates the beauty of nature and love. Gibran is the author of many articles about music and a book entitled Music. In 1920 a group of Arab emigre writers from Syria and Lebanon organized a literary club in the USA under Gibran’s direction called “al-Rabitah al-Qalamiyah” (The Pen League), which was of great significance in the general development of contemporary Arabic literature. In the book The Prophet, which was written in English and enjoyed great success, Gibran set forth his views on many sides of human life. Gibran influenced contemporary Arabic literature.