The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English. First published in 1923, it is Gibran’s best known work. The prophet, Almustafa, is leaving the city of Orphalese, to board a ship that will carry him back home. The book starts when he is stopped by a group of people and answers to their questions about different topics, such as love, marriage, laws, freedom, time, and many others. It is written in an archaic style, recalling certain translations of the Bible. Gibran declares no clear religious affiliation, he was influenced by his own religion, but also fascinated by the mysticism of the Sufis. Many, included Auguste Rodin, associated Gibran to William Blake and Walt Whitman and he had many connections to the Baha’i Faith starting around 1912. At The Prophet followed The Garden of the Prophet, which was published posthumously in 1933, always on the same style and themes.
