Born in the town of Bsharri in the north of modern-day Lebanon (then part of Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Ottoman Empire), as a young man he immigrated with his family to the United States, where he studied art and began his literary career, writing in both English and Arabic. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature, especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero.

He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again especially in the 1960s counterculture. Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi. جبران خليل جبران فيلسوف وشاعر وكاتب ورسام لبناني أمريكي، ولد في 6 يناير 1883 في بلدة بشري شمال لبنان حين كانت تابعة لمتصرفية جبل لبنان العثمانية. توفي في نيويورك 10 ابريل 1931 بداء السل. ويعرف أيضاً بخليل جبران وهو من أحفاد يوسف جبران الماروني البشعلاني. هاجر وهو صغير مع أمه وإخوته إلى أمريكا عام 1895 حيث درس الفن وبدأ مشواره الأدبي. اشتهر عند العالم الغربي بكتابه الذي تم نشره سنة 1923 وهو كتاب النبي (كتاب). أيضاً جبران هو الشاعر الأكثر مبيعًا، بعد شكسبير ولاوزي.