This essential trilogy gathers Kahlil Gibran’s The Madman (1918), The Forerunner (1920), and his masterpiece, The Prophet (1923). Together these works compound the mesmerizing, heart-haunting effects that have made The Prophet so inspiring for millions. It is probably the most influential and best-selling wisdom book of the last 100 years and remains as relevant today as ever. In The Madman Gibran introduces the themes that preoccupy his subsequent writings—among them truth, love, forgiveness, grief, work, pleasure, death, and freedom. Gibran’s second collection of parables and poems, The Forerunner, anticipates The Prophet both in its concerns and its mastery of Gibran’s timeless, pure, lyrical style. Approachable, profound, and wise, The Prophet remains a work of singular transcendence.

A new introduction by Ulrich Baer and Glenn Wallis illumines Gibran’s beguilingly simple poems and tales, drawing attention to the radical proposal they contain. Also included is a biographical timeline that provides a succinct overview of Gibran’s personal life and the key events of his artistic career.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University and the host of the podcast “Think About It.” He received his BA from Harvard University and his PhD from Yale University. He is a widely published expert on modern poetry, contemporary photography, literary theory, and philosophy. He is the editor and translator of Rainer Maria Rilke: The Dark Interval and the author of, among other books, The Rilke Alphabet and We Are But a Moment.

Glenn Wallis is a preeminent scholar of classical Buddhist literature, philosophy, and practice and Director of Incite Seminars in Philadelphia. He received a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from Harvard University’s Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies. He has taught at Brown University, the University of Georgia, and other institutions. He is the author of A Critique of Western Buddhism, Basic Teachings of the Buddha, and many other works.