Tuesday 25 August 2009

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

Thank goodness this was so short. It's not meaningful, just overworked mysticism. One of the favoured formats seems to be the posing of apparent contradictions - but if you look more deeply into it, they really are just contradictions. I am sure this is the sort of book people would dip into at random to find the answer to a problem - but really if you had already prepared yourself to find an answer, you could do that with a phone book. It's written in the style of the King James Bible, which just adds to the effect of the pretentious faux-mysticism.

Some people actually like this stuff - read their misguided comments here.

Day 317; Book 307

3 comments:

  1. I love this book...in fact, I posted a five star review on the very page you link to. I definitely understand how it isn't everyone's cup of tea- it's like cheesecake: I love it, but I understand if the thick texture nauseates some people :p

    Many of the essays reflect my experience almost exactly - the parts that I disagree with force me to think about why I don't agree, so I enjoy reading those parts, too... and the language is wonderful, I enjoy reading it aloud...

    Good post!

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  2. A good defence - thanks for posting!

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  3. I loved this book.I loved the part that says the more sadness you feel,the deeper your cup to feel happiness.I think that is so true.The sadness doesn't have to be pain that you have gone through yourself but sadness for others in the form of compassion will deepen your cup for later receipt of great happiness.

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