Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual artist who lived from 1883 to 1931. He is best known as the author of The Prophet, which was first published in the United States in 1923 and has since become one of the best-selling books of all time, translated into more than 100 languages. Gibran was also considered a philosopher, though he himself rejected this title. His work combined literary and visual artistic expression, establishing him as a significant cultural figure of his era.