The latest releases about Gibran Khalil
The Antelias Cultural Movement held a symposium on May 3, 2011 concerning the latest releases about Gibran Khalil Gibran with the participation of the President of the Gibran National Committee Dr. Tarek Chidiac, the two novelists Me. Alexandre Najjar and Mr. Antoine Khoueiry. Poet Abdo Wazen ran the conference.
The audience paid big attention at the symposium owing to the importance of the three published books: "Turn the Page Young" Man" that is published by the Gibran National Committee, the book of novelist Alexandre Najjar "In the footsteps of Gibran", and the book of Mr. Antoine Khoueiry, "Gibran Khalil Gibran – The Lebanese Genius".
The poet Abdo Wazen opened the symposium praising "Gibran" who was admired by both thinkers and journalists and who was through the years of his life and writings on every tongue "Gibran was known as the white wolf, even after his death, his life remains a mystery, the more we immerse deep in his life, the more we discover that we ignore lot about his dialectic personality". Yet according to poet Abdo Wazen, each one of the three writers has been attempted to add a piece to this puzzle about "Gibran", in his book.
Dr. Tarek Chidiac attributed the cause of the publication of the book "Turn the Page Man", to the exceptional personality of Gibran himself, which is often a problematic personality. He declared that the book is a bunch of manuscripts that speak about the relationship of Gibran with his family, religion, church, and power in his early age"." In the book we discover the amassed ideas that revolve in Gibran's being, even his hand writings were not clear so an advisory committee to study and understand these manuscripts was involved to come up with the book"
The book was published in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Lebanon upon the nomination by the UNESCO of Beirut as World Book Capital for 2009. The book was released in 2010.
In his turn Me. Alexander Najjar presented his book "In the Footsteps of Gibran" saying that the book includes paintings that were painted by Gibran and never published, they are about Gibran's muse Charlotte Teller and landscapes depicting the cedars of Lebanon, nature, and portraits of his friend Mary Haskel. The book also includes three unpublished documents and extracts of correspondence between Gibran and Corinne the sister of President Roosevelt. Indeed Gibran maintained a strong friendship with the latter and often visited her at home to contemplate the beauty of her garden. Najjar also stated that Gibran's friendship with Corinne was a great support for him during his illness till the end of his life.
As for the book of Mr. Antoine Khoueiry "Gibran Khalil Gibran - Lebanese genius", it contains an extensive bibliography and outstanding new elements that help to understand the intellectual and human value of Gibran. The author reported that Gibran had Christ as his model. Influenced by the piety of his mother and his grandfather the priest, since his childhood, Gibran was attached to the Savior and when he discovered new doctrines and beliefs during his stay in New York, his attachment to Christ increased.
According to the book, Gibran was proud of his Christianity and his God who appeared to him in his dreams during his stay in Lebanon. In the United States, Gibran became acquainted with Bishop.Stephan Douaihy who translated to Syriac many prayers. Mr. Antoine Khoueiry added that Gibran when listening to those prayers asked why the Maronites do not share these treasures with the believers. "If Gibran was not a believer, he would not have enjoyed the spiritual wealth on his deathbed" "on his deathbed Gibran received from Mgr. Francis Joakim extreme unction".
The book also presents a certificate as a conclusive evidence of the hospital record signed by the abbess, and the doctor of Gibran."If Gibran was not a believer, the Maronite bishops would not have celebrated the prayer for the repose of his soul in Beirut". Substantially the book emphasizes that Gibran is an intellectual and humanist treasure and a mystery that will never cease to amaze the world.
At the end of the speeches of the speakers, the audience asked several questions about the books and presented their iinterventions on the theses.