Lazarus and His Beloved: A One Act Play

by Kahlil Gibran

Poet, philosopher, and artist, Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) was born in Lebanon.The millions of Arabic-speaking peoples familiar with his writings in that language consider him the genius of his age and he was a man whose fame and influence spread far beyond the country of his birth. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages and his drawings and paintings have been exhibited in the great capitals of the world and compared by Auguste Rodin to the work of William Blake. In this, his only play, he turns his wit, humanity and compassion to bear on the Biblical story of Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead and by concentrating on Lazarus's domextic life. As in all his works, Gibran finds profound insight and poetic wisdom in the most ordinary and extraordinary of situations.

Genres: Plays, Philosophy, Spirituality, Poetry, Drama

Hardcover

First published March 25, 2009

About the author

Kahlil Gibran (Arabic: جبران خليل جبران ) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer.
Born in the town of Bsharri in modern-day Lebanon (then part of Ottoman Mount Lebanon), as a young man he emigrated with his family to the United States where he studied art and began his literary career. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature, especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero.
He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again, especially in the 1960s counterculture.
Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A madman, a resurrected disciple of Jesus and his family arguing on the bliss of death

[Vohouman]

Now, I stand here at this moment, rebelling against that which you call life.
My mother and my sisters, I shall follow Him who gave me life
until He gives me death.

[Bernie]

"Todos miran a través de alguien para ver a otra persona."

[Saroj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mother and Martha couldn't understand the lazarus because they are so body centric. Marry listens to the Lazarus through his heart not through ears so lazarus and marry can have some communication. Madman can see the spirits of lazarus but mother and martha are able to see only body of lazarus. Mother and Martha (body) try so hard to love, care and stop the lazarus (spirit) from moving to the hill to be with his beloved(godliness). But they failed.

[Laura Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy contained an introduction that briefly described Gibran’s life and included some of his drawings. It provided a context which, for me, added a depth to the play that I would’ve otherwise sorely missed.

[Trinity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ambiguous, with an open ending, but a delicate and emotional exploration of the aftereffects of Jesus' resurrection.

[Khadija -Tul-Kubra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"They are afraid of the mist. And the mist is their beginning and the mist is their end."
Thought provoking - still analysing the deeper meaning

[Nicolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

[Sezgi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Başka tiyatro eseri var mı bilmiyorum ama bu vasat (orta) düzeyde bir eserdi. Tiyatro eseri okumak istiyorsanız tercih edeceğiniz o kadar insan var ki! Ve bunların arasında Halil Cibran sonuncu falan olurdu.

[Riccardo Marchio · Rating 3 out of 5]

La storia di Lazzaro è uno degli esempi più belli di come un avvenimento legato alla vita di Gesù sia diventato universale. Gesù, venuto a sapere che il suo amico era morto, si commuove e decide di "risorgerlo". Davvero Lazzaro desiderava risorgere? Khalil Gibran, scrittore libanese degli inizi del '900, immagina un dialogo tra Lazzaro e i suoi familiari: nasce così quest'opera breve ma densa di riflessioni e di significato. L'autore, in "Lazzaro e la sua amata", ci racconta del disagio della vita una volta che si è toccato l'Amore, di come la nostalgia del cielo, insita negli uomini di ogni epoca e di ogni latitudine, possa essere molto più pressante e presente una volta che si è toccato con mano il cielo, abbracciato l'Infinito, conosciuta la vera pace. Un'opera che interroga l'uomo nel profondo, arricchita in questa edizione dalla prefazione di Davide Rondoni e, soprattutto, dalla postfazione del professor Bartolomeo Pirone. Poetico!

[Ferhat Elmas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diger kitaplarindan; Ermis, Kum ve Kopuk, vd., sonra bir hayal kirikligi.

[Janice Raquela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all his works

[Fred Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brilliant one act play needs to be read more than once to get the full impact. It is the work of a mystic and will probably not be appreciated by the literal minded.

[Michael Behman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Emotional but pointless.

[Keo84 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yazarın okuduğum ilk kitabı. Okuyacak olan dostlarımı etkilemek istemiyorum ama sanırım bu tarz bir kitap ilk defa okuduğumdan olsa gerek pek beğenmedim. Saygılar,

[Sharanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Gibtans writings, his platitudes usually are deep and simple. This one I had to struggle and since its Gibran I give it a 3 instead of 2

[Beyza]

Bu kitabı, Parşömen yayınlarından okumanızı tavsiye etmiyorum. Kitabın "Lazarus ve Aziz Dostu" kısmında, " a stones throw" (sf 18) ve "Mary" (sf 29) gibi İngilizce unutulmuş kelimeler vardı. Genel olarak kitabın çevirisinde de bir anlam bütünsüzlüğü var gibiydi. Halil Cibran'ı İş Bankası yayınlarından tekrar okumayı düşünüyorum.