The Madman
Ratings12
Average rating4.6
the great Lebanese-American poet and artist Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) first became known to Americans in 1918 with the publication of The Madman.Thought-provoking and inspiring, the book is a collection of memorable, life-affirming parables and poems, many of them casting an ironic light on the beliefs, aspirations, and vanities of humankind - and many reminiscent of the work of Tagore and Nietzsche, both of whom were strong influences on Gibran.
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I've read all of Kahlil Gibran's writing and this is by far (in my opinion) his best. Kahlil intones that there are 7 masks that we wear. Our out garment that we show the world. But the true self, the self without the masks is the madman. We are all madmen. This is a quick but deep read and well worth your time and attention.
In my college days, Kahlil Gibran was one of my favorites, but that was back when I also adored Paulo Coelho and Ayn Rand. Now that I am a slightly more discerning and far more cynical reader, I was expecting to be underwhelmed when I re-read Gibran. But no; the dreamy and irreverent verses are as delightful as I remembered them to be.
Whenever I read Gibran, I'm struck by his deep sense of life's duality. He constantly points us toward the “other side”—urging us to widen our lens, to see through someone else's eyes. Have we ever truly considered that madmen might have their thoughts, feelings, and points of view? Gibran does—and he brings it out with a sly touch of humour. Through his poems and parables, you're left questioning by the end: who's mad—the so-called madman, or the rest of us pretending to be sane?
