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    The Prophet
    The Prophet
    The Prophet
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Prophet

    Written by Kahlil Gibran

    Narrated by Jonathan Reese

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Kahlil Gibran—poet, philosopher, and artist—was born in Lebanon in 1883 but spent his final twenty years of life living in the United States. The three books that compose this audiobook are collections of Gibran's aphorisms, parables, and poetic essays.



    The first book, The Prophet, was originally published in 1923 and is considered Gibran's masterpiece. It is written in prose poetry in twenty-eight parts, and deals with such topics as love, freedom, good and evil, religion, and death. It is a mystical and intensely subjective work, presenting the human soul as essentially noble and good.



    In The Forerunner, originally published in 1920, Gibran asserts that "nobody is to be blamed for our 'being' and 'having' but ourselves." Gibran makes it clear that we are our own destiny and not the toy of a blind fate.



    Finally, the titular entity of The Madman, originally published in 1918, is not literally mentally unbalanced; on the contrary, he is perfectly healthy. His madness is only in the eyes of others. Gibran asserts that we tend to be what society expects from us, even though these expectations could be detrimental for the development of our self-identity. Oftentimes, we veil our true selves with masks out of fear of being ridiculed by others.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 1, 2008
    ISBN9781400177943
    Author

    Kahlil Gibran

    Khalil Gibran (1883–1931) was an essayist, novelist, and mystic poet. He wrote The Prophet, a collection of philosophical essays that went on to become one of the bestselling books of the twentieth century. Though he was born in Lebanon, he moved to Boston’s South End as a child and studied art with Auguste Rodin in Paris for two years before launching his literary career. Much of Gibran’s work contains themes of religion and Christianity as well as spiritual love.

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    Reviews for The Prophet

    4.5/5

    105 ratings63 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a great book with deep insights. However, the audiobook version is not recommended due to frequent audio cutting out at the end of chapters. The editing of the audio recording needs improvement as many chapters abruptly end, causing frustration for listeners. Potential readers are advised to look for another audio version of this work."

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      The book was good but the audio recording kept cutting out at the end of most chapters.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I read this years ago. I'm not a religious person in the slightest. I might consider myself spiritual. This book was to me what I suppose the Bible or Koran, or Torah or whatever is to people of religion. It's a go-to book for learning how to be a better person. Provides insight into emotions, and ideas about work and life.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      The translation I read makes it seem as if Gibran were trying to condense "Thus Spake Zarathustra." I'm not sure whether this is a fault of the specific translation

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      If you have ever questioned time, life, freedom, pain, friendship, love, marriage or pleasure I recommend this book.The lessons in this book can positively impact your life. Very simply written, this book speaks to everyone.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      My mother, a Bohemian at heart, gave me this is a birthday present and, at first, I didn't quite know what to make of it. But once I relaxed into the fact that The Prophet is merely a creative work of rare and extraordinary beauty, I began to enjoy it and even read a few passages to my husband. I particularly like "Work is love made visible". The Prophet contains some lovely lyrical prose and many enchanting passages which are largely universal in nature. There is a great deal of wisdom in this book, although I would qualify this by saying that, if one were looking for answers to life's greatest questions, there is nothing in The Prophet that you couldn't find in your own Holy scriptures, whatever they may be. Some may take offense to this book, considering its title and the name of the main character, but I think it is possible to transcend this kind of reaction if you can take The Prophet for what it is: a creative work of prose fiction, not intended as a poisonous substitute for sacred scripture.
    • 5/5
      I'm not very religious, but this had some great and beautiful thoughts and advice in it.
    • 1/5
      Whoever did the editing on this title needs to revisit the recording. Most of the first 15 chapters cut off in mid-thought, even mid-sentence. Why? I’ll have to look for another audio version of this work. It draws you in, but I was unable to see any of these short chapters to a conclusion. Very frustrating. Look for another instance, not this one.
    • 3/5
      "The Prophet" is a book that by it's own religious nature will vary in quality depending on one's personal views.
      I say this because as someone who has completly step back from any religious belief, I struggled with some of the book's content; some "truths" presented are those shared by many religions and therefore are completly dependent on belief.
      That being said, I would still recomend this book because of the beautiful imaginery recalled by the Prophet to deliver his teachings; most are so rich that there were parts I re-read several times because understanding the simple images felt many times like an ephifany in the sense that it gave order to some portion of the human experience without simplifying it.

      All things considered, it was worth reading since this is a small and well written book whose effect is more likely than not to bring some more perspective on religious beliefs.
    • 4/5
      (Read in 2002.) Favorite quotes:“And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”“All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of life’s heart.”“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”
    • 5/5
      Humbling, inspiring, and definitely a book to keep on your bedside table...
    • 5/5
      Beautiful and inspiring.
    • 5/5
      Sometimes you read a book, sometimes a book reads you.
    • 4/5
      This new edition seemed a good opportunity to take in this classic. You don't hear so much about Kahlil Gibran nowadays, but when I was in my teens he seemed to be all over the place.To be honest, I'm not sure what I think. The work captures the cadence and impression of a solid work of philosophy -- much better than the other forms I was also consuming in my teens, like Richard Bach. And I found his real world pragmatism on issues reassuring. Unlike the Christian platitudes on marriage about becoming one, Gibran urged the partners to maintain their individuality however much they are together. Similarly, parents are encouraged to allow their children to become their own persons. Parents may strive to be like their children, but they should not work to make their children like them. All true. On the other hand, I tend not to appreciate arguments of the form of clever wordplay that seek to find deep wisdom by inverting the terms. A and not-A. A chain is only as weak as the weakest link, but also as strong as the strongest one. That's ridiculous. Were I a different kind of person, or even the same person at a different, probably earlier stage of life, I may have the time and inclination to puzzle over these brief expositions on selected topics. But that's not what's going to happen. In truth, I found the new introduction to be the most memorable, with the story of how reading the right book at the right time can change one's life. That's what we really need to be reminded of.This edition introduced a new error into the text, on page 19. Publishers do not pay as much attention to copy editing as they did in the old days, sadly.
    • 5/5
      This small and beautiful collection of poems is wonderful. They cover any range of topics of life such as marriage and childhood. They are a great pick you up.
    • 4/5
      This was a surprisingly good read. The pithy statements are full of wisdom and poetic grace and the entire whole is abounded by a sense of care and compassion towards the reader. Although I am not religious, I found this to be a particularly gripping book that held my attention from start to finish.

      Great read. Recommended for poets, scholars, those with religious reasons, and curiosity-seekers.
    • 5/5
      Timeless in its wisdom. Less is definitely more in this slim volume. Excellent guide for living.
    • 5/5
      This is one book in which, as I came to the last few pages, I subconsciously began to read slower and slower: trying to make it last as I savored every word. There is real poetry in this book...the best kind that is full of wisdom and deep things said in the simplest way. A beautiful, gently philosophical read.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful book! The poetry is exquisite and often quoted for its beauty and profound insight. A MUST-READ! Gibran's prophet speaks eloquently on the topics of everyone's life: Love, Marriage, Children, Work, Joy and Sorrow, ... Time, ... Religion...This timeless work will have you thinking deeply and THAT is its greatest gift!
    • 2/5
      I feel like I'm supposed to love this book, but it just didn't do much for me. At its best the writing is quite lyrical and there are some wonderfully quotable passages, but taken as a whole it felt like Gibran had tried to find universals among world religions and that road had just led him to rather obvious truisms.
    • 5/5
      In the seventh grade I learned teachers didn't know as much as they led us to believe. I'd read The Prophet and wanted to talk about it with my Tag English teacher. He had no idea who Kahlil Gibran was. It took me at least a week to wrap my brain around that fact.More years later than I'd care to admit, I still remember the impact the book had on me and, while I've never read it a second time, several passages and the overall impact stick with me.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite books of inspiration. I gave my Friday crew the book before they left for college. One of my favorite memories will always be sharing the book at Starbucks this summer.
    • 5/5
      These short sections on various topics are completely insightful. Reading the prophet's wisdom, I felt as though he were telling me things from my own mind that I only had not put down into words, and Gibran wrote his prose with such an artfulness that this novel is nothing short of inspirational. He has written the poetry of my soul.
    • 5/5
      There are spiritual gems sprinkled throughout the pages. A book of wisdom and a spiritual classic.
    • 5/5
      This book is priceless. If you haven't done so, read it soon. So much wisdom so sweetly and lovingly put forth.
    • 4/5
       I read this to complete a reading challenge. I'm not usually one for poetry but I did find this book to be pretty captivating for the most part. There were definitely areas that were harder for me to read than others, but over all I enjoyed it. I'd say that I enjoyed it more than I expected to.
    • 5/5
      I originally read this book in high school over 30 years ago and found it beautiful. Today I find it enlightening, calming, and a constant source of re-examination. I actually keep a copy with me at all times to read whenever I need to wait somewhere and want a quick reminder. Very thought provoking and very new age.
    • 3/5
      This is an interesting piece of philosophy, well worth a couple rereads. Basically this prophet comes to town, and the people of the town ask him all kinds of questions, and he answers them. There's some good advice about infusing your every action with love and stuff like that, and some confusing advice that may be encouraging nudity and/or anarchy. Like I said, it's worth multiple reads. And it's short enough that rereading is no burden. A good choice if you're in the mood to ponder the Big Issues.
    • 3/5
      A great book but probably not the best choice as an audiobook. Contains minute long chapters with deep insights that are best captured by reading.
    • 3/5
      his is a very interesting listen. The Prophet is not so much a story as treatise on Gibran's understanding of philosphy and religion. There are some beautiful points made, but others that seem confusing. The narration was rather odd. Paul Sparer has an amazing voice, but it would work better in an epic fantasy, and therefore gave the whole work a feel of the fantastic.
    • 5/5
      A book that transcends most faiths; one to reach for in the middle of the night.