Khalil Gibran

Born in an Ottoman Syria (modern-day Beirut, Lebanon), Khalil Gibran migrated to Boston, America with his mother and siblings. 

Gibran is a hallmark figure of modernist Arabic poetry, a literary and political rebel with a romantic style that has captured hearts across generations. He led a renaissance of Arabic poetry that broke away from the rigid rules of the classical school.  Despite cool critical reception, Gibran has maintained popularity across the decades. He is the third best-selling poet of all time, bowing only to Shakespeare and Laozi. His reputation as a central figure of Arabic literary modernism has never been challenged.