Khalil Jubran, man
Halil Bárcena
Painter blakeanes reminiscences, somewhat mystical philosopher, journalist (in the sense noble word) portrait (Jung and Tagore posarenm for him, but he also removed the sleeve, a sleeve very wide, it must be said, a portrait of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, and one of his son in law and cousin, 'Ali), the Lebanese Khalil (Arabic letter "kh" sounds like "j" in English) Jubran (or Gibran or Jabran, and has also transcribed his name) is, moreover, the contemporary Arab writer best known worldwide, thanks mainly to a work, Prophet, first published ago Seventy-five years and translated into almost all languages \u200b\u200bworldwide.
Born in 1883 in the village of Bixarri at the heart of the Lebanese mountains, not far from where the legendary sacred cedars grow, Jubran, but lived most of his life in the United States, particularly between Boston and New York city who died at the age of forty-eight years, victim of a serious illness caused by alcohol.
Along with the Lebanese also Nu'aima Mikhail (his best friend), Amin al-Rihani and Ilya Abu Madi, among others, Jubran belongs to the prolific literary group called Mahy, that is, emigration. Gathered around the Ar-to-tail Qalamiyya (The Literary League), this handful of writers who lived far from their country of origin constituted, however, a genuine incubator of ideas which grew some of the current most successful renewal, not only literary but also cultural and political-of the contemporary Arab world.
Jubran, man of extraordinary and complex personality, lived in very short time, partly due to the fact that his was a time of profound change and political turmoil in the Middle East. Man spiritualist trends, little is, however, what has been said of his political commitment, despite the crucial place he held in his life and his work. Indeed, Jubran spent quite a zeal in favor of the independence of Arab countries, then under the yoke first, Ottoman Turkish and later Europe. In this context of struggle, is precisely where to locate and understand his famous article "Your Lebanon and my (soon to appear on this blog, translated directly from Arabic).
Published 8 November 1920, the weekly Arabic-language As- Sa'ih, organ of the Literary League, founded and led by Abd al Massih-Haddad in New York, the article, which was then reproduced by the major newspapers in Beirut and Cairo, despite the censorship authorities francolibaneses hole, appeared little more than two months after General Gouraud proclaimed the State of Greater Lebanon under French mandate, thereby consummating the arbitrary partition of the Middle East.
article represented a strong punch to the table by the author, as he was a supporter of Arab unity. Some have suggested that the hypnotic rhythm of the text might have been inspired by a famous formula language used in the floats 109, the Koran one of the most loved books and read by Jubran, who was born still at the heart of a very humble Maronite Christian family.
Disappointed with the course of events following the publication of this article, which could be considered his political testament, Jubran, writer bilingual in Arabic and English, leaving all political activity to devote himself body and soul in his paintings and lietrària. Then The prophet his great literary legacy, even had to write.
(Published in Catalan in the journal The Well of Letters No 10, Summer 1998, p. 48)
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